


On the Side of the Angels

by ScalePhoenix14825



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-10
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 13:48:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2431103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScalePhoenix14825/pseuds/ScalePhoenix14825
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Sam encounter someone they will both cherish for the rest of their lives whether they realize it or not. She never knew either of her parents and now the Winchester's have become her family. She sees things differently than the brothers do and she becomes a great asset to their cause.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Time Like the Present

**Chapter One-No Time Like the Present**

**Third Person POV**

**Setting: A dark, cold, and extremely windy January night outside of a Catholic** **church in Columbus, Michigan.**

Sister Madelyn Moore sat on the small cot in her cell crying. Something crashed into the small window above her cot. She quickly took a tighter hold on the small bundle of cloths in her arms and brought it up so it was closer to her chest, closer to her heart.

She quickly looked up when she felt someone elseʼs presence in the small cell.

"It canʼt be time. Itʼs only been a day." she said, her voice breaking and tears streaming down her face as she looked up at the man standing in the corner. "I  _am_ sorry, Sister Madelyn, but it has to be done." came a smooth reply as the man stepped out of the dark corner and into the lighter part of the room that was lit by the moon. Sister Madelyn closed her eyes and shook her head as more tears spilled.

This wasnʼt supposed to happen to her. Ever since she was a child, all she could dream about was becoming a nun and serving God in any way she could. She never expected this though. Never this. She was only eighteen and had been in the convent for two months when he came to her. Now, nine months later, he was having the most precious thing in her life taken away from her and she was going to die.

"Will she be safe?" she asked quietly, refusing to look into the manʼs eyes as she looked down at the bundle wrapped in her arms. "I promise you. She will be raised by a loving family and will grow up a normal life. She will be under my protection for as long as itʼs required. I give my word." came his reply as he looked down at the worn out women.

She looked up at him and nodded. "How long do I have?" she asked.

"A few minutes." he told her, watching more tears fall down her cheeks. She nodded, stood up, and hesitated. "She will be safe, Sister." he reassured her, noticing her hesitance. She took a deep breath and carefully handed the bundle over. He took the bundle carefully and cradled it in his arms as if it was the most precious item in the universe. He cautiously pulled a flap back to reveal the peaceful, sleeping face of a baby girl.

"Whatʼs her name?" he asked quietly, looking up from the small face of the sleeping child. Sister Madelyn tore her eyes away from the sleeping form to look up at him. "Lyssa, after my mother. Lyssa Rose Moore." she said with a sad smile. The man nodded and looked back down at the child before looking back up at Sister Madelyn.

"Thank you, Sister. Your sacrifice is greatly appreciated." he told her.

She nodded and let a few more tears fall, leaning over and placing a soft kiss on her daughterʼs forehead before stepping back quickly. She didnʼt know what was happening, but she had a fairly good idea of what was going to happen. "Thank you, Castiel. Keep her safe." she said, fear evident in her voice. Castiel knew what was happening and left the cell before Sister Madelyn burst into flames and disappeared into the smoke.

**Four Years Later**

"I know youʼre faking." came a smooth voice from the side of Lyssaʼs bed. She cautiously peeked open an eye and smiled brightly at the face that greeted her. "Cas!" she said, jumping out from under the covers and quickly wrapping her arms around his neck. "Happy birthday." he told her, wrapping his arms around the childʼs waist to return the hug. She pulled back and crinkled her nose.

"Whatʼs wrong?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Cas, my birthdayʼs tomorrow." she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Castiel stood up and straightened his trench coat. "I know, but Iʼm not able to visit tomorrow. Though I did think it would be acceptable to visit tonight and wish you an early happy birthday." he said, a smile tugging at his lips as he saw her contemplate his statement.

"Okay. I accept." she said, dropping from resting on her knees to sit in the middle of the bed. Castiel chuckled and reached into one of the pockets on the inside of his coat. He pulled out a simply wrapped gift. He kneeled down next to her bed and handed it to her. "What is it?" she asked, taking the gift and inspecting it. "Open it and see." he told her.

He watched her carefully unwrap the gift, making sure not to rip any of the paper, and pull out a dark blue journal once it was freed. She looked up from the journal and gave Castiel a questioning look. He smiled slightly and took the journal from her to open it to the back of the cover. Inscribed in gold lettering was something that Lyssa would unknowingly hold close to her heart for the rest of her life.

_To Lyssa Rose Moore_

_From your friend and Guardian Angel-"Cas"_

Lyssa looked up from the writing and smiled brightly, her light blue eyes shining with happiness. "Thank you, Cas." she said and threw her arms around his neck in a hug that would have knocked him over if he hadnʼt been prepared. She pulled away and and crawled over to her pillow. She lifted it and carefully placed the journal under it, laying the pillow back down once she was satisfied.

Castiel raised an eyebrow in question once she turned back towards him. "No one will find it there." she stated. He nodded his head and stood up. "Wait! You canʼt leave yet!" she said, hopping off the bed. "Lyssa-" he started to say, but stopped when he saw tears forming in the corner of her eyes. He sighed in defeat and looked down at her with a small smile. "Alright, but only for a while. I have to leave soon." he told her.

Lyssa nodded in understanding and smiled back. Castiel was always surprised at how mature she was for her age and how she didnʼt question anything he told her. He knew he should be worried about it, but he couldnʼt bring himself to care. He knew if he became too attached to her, it would only be worse in the end for both of them.

Quickly burrowing those thoughts, Castiel walked over to Lyssaʼs small twin bed and sat in the middle of it so his back was resting against the headboard, being careful not to crush the pillow. Lyssa crawled back onto her bed as well and curled up in Castielʼs lap, cuddling into his chest. He carefully wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him as she drifted off to sleep.

Glancing up at the clock, Castiel wasnʼt too surprised at how fast she had fallen asleep considering it was nearly midnight. He absently ran his fingers through her dark chestnut hair and smiled. He didnʼt like to admit it, but heʼd become quite fond of the child over the past four years. Every other night he would come visit her and listen to her tell stories that made no sense to anyone but herself and he listened because he was fascinated by the simplicity of a childʼs mind.

After he was certain she was in a deep enough sleep, he carefully slipped out from under her and covered her with the blanket. He leaned down and placed a light kiss to her forehead and made his departure.

**Twenty-Two Years Later**

"Come on, Lee! Get your ass up! Weʼre gonna be late!"

Lyssa groaned and pulled the cover over her head, trying to drowned out the voice of her roommate. She couldnʼt help but smirk when she heard Morgan huff in annoyance and grab her keys off her nightstand. "Fine, but if you fail your finals, donʼt come whining to me." she said and left the dorm room.

After laying in bed for another ten minutes trying to wake up more, she threw the blanket back and got up. Lyssa rolled her eyes when she looked at the clock hanging above the door. Morgan was getting all flustered over nothing. There were two hours till classes started. Running her hand through her, now turned light chestnut, hair and grabbed her things to take a shower.

After her shower, she walked back into her dorm and started pulling out her clothes for the day. She threw the clothing on her bed and grabbed her phone off the nightstand when it went off.

_I hope youʼve finally gotten your lazy ass out of bed!-MM_

Lyssa rolled her eyes and quickly replied to her, letting her know that she was up. She quickly got dressed and went over to the mirror on the wall next to the one window in the room. She ran the brush through her hair and put it up in a ponytail. Grabbing her purse and phone, she walked out the door and made her way to her classes.

"Dean? I think I just got a lead on where we should head next." Sam said, looking over at Dean in the driverʼs seat. Dean looked away from the road for a second to give Sam a questioning look. "Well, I just got a text from an unknown number. It has a name, an address, and a short message. The name is Lyssa Moore, the address is 1928 Jefferson Rd. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the message says that some kind of demon is  _hunting_ her." Sam explained.

"Sounds pretty deep. Do you think we should check it out? I mean, it  _is_ from an unknown number. Could be a trap." Dean said, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Sam scratched the back of his head and looked back down at his phone thinking about the pros and cons of going to check the case out. "Well, we can always check it out and if things go shitty, we can handle whateverʼs there." Sam said, throwing his phone onto the dashboard. "Well then, Massachusetts it it." Dean said, turning the radio up and smirking at Sam when he rolled his eyes.


	2. A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place between "Bloody Mary" and "Skin".

**Chapter Two-A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed Part 1**

**Third Person POV**

"Iʼm surprised you showed up for class today." Morgan scolded, causing Lyssa to roll her eyes. "You were getting worked up over nothing, Morgan. There were two hours until classes started when you woke me up." she retorted, putting her hands in her jacket pockets. "Thatʼs because you have to get to class early. This is Harvard, Lee! We canʼt goof off like we did in high school." Morgan told her, brushing her long red hair off her shoulders and onto her back.

"Weʼve been out of high school for four years now! Iʼm pretty sure Iʼve got the whole college thing down." Lyssa said, pushing her sunglasses higher up on her round face. "Really? Because you seemed awfully spaced out in class today." Morgan retorted, stopping at the crosswalk across from the campus. "Iʼve got a lot on my mind." Lyssa defended as they waited for the signal to let them continue down the sidewalk. They were silent for a moment before Morgan stopped abruptly, causing Lyssa to stop as well. "Are you sure youʼre all right? You were talking in your sleep again last night. Did you have another nightmare?" she asked lowly so that a passerby wouldnʼt be able to hear her. Lyssa sighed and slumped a little. "Morgan, honestly! Iʼm fine. Just a little tired." she assured, avoiding the question.

Morgan nodded slowly and continued walking. "Platonic hand hold?" she asked, offeringLyssa her hand. Lyssa couldnʼt help but laugh and take her hand with a smile. Once they made it back to their dorm, Lyssa threw her bag on one of the three chairs in the room and flopped down on her bed. "Iʼm so glad Professor Baker didnʼt assign any huge assignment this weekend. I donʼt think I could handle anything big for a couple of days. And I have to babysit for Mrs. Jackson to top it all off." she said, throwing her arm over her face and talking to whoever in the room was listening.

"I know. Iʼve been looking forward to this week off for months now." Morgan replied, sitting on her own bed and pulling out her laptop. "What time is it?" Lyssa asked after a couple of minutes in silence. "4:46." came the quick reply. Lyssa groaned and sat up. "I have to get ready for work." she said, running a hand down her face before getting up and changing into her work uniform.

"Are you sure you should be going into work?" Morgan asked, looking up from her computer screen. "Iʼll be fine." Lyssa responded, walking over and pushing Morganʼs glasses up after theyʼd fallen lower on her nose. She crinkled her nose in response and nodded before going back to what she was working on. Checking to make sure she had her phone in her pocket before leaving, Lyssa said one last goodbye to Morgan and left their dorm room.

The short walk to the small coffee shop where Lyssa worked wasnʼt too bad considering how late in the afternoon it was and how close the shop was to campus. This place was usually crawling with students trying to get work done for their respective classes. She supposed it was because of the elongated weekend coming up. She walked in and was greeted by the three people that were already there.

"This the house?" Dean asked, pulling the Impala up on the street opposite of the house. It was pretty nice. It was painted white with red shutters and a wooden door. The lawn was neatly mown and the garden surrounding the front porch was colorful. "1928 Jefferson Rd. Yeah. This is it." Sam said, looking up from the anonymous text. "Well then, lets check things out." Dean said, opening the door and stepping out. They walked up to the narrow walkway that lead to the front door. Sam knocked and they both waited for someone to answer the door.

The door opened to reveal a tall woman with blond hair and green eyes. Samʼs jaw dropped and he started having a hard time breathing. "Sam! Is that you! Oh lord, I havenʼt seen you since last summer." she said, pulling Sam into a hug. Sam tentatively hugged back and started to feel tears prick at the corners of his eyes when he pulled away. "Mrs. Marks, whatʼre you doing here?" Sam asked after forcing his emotions down.

"I should be asking you that. I donʼt remember ever mentioning where we lived." she said, sounding more than a little confused. "Um, yeah. I was looking for a Lyssa Moore. Do you know her or happen to know where she lives?" Sam asked, avoiding the question as much as possible. "Of course I know Lyssa! Sheʼs not here right now, but sheʼs supposed to be home later this evening. She has to pick up a few things before she has to babysit for Mrs. Jackson down the street."

Sam and Dean exchanged confused looks and then back to Mrs. Marks. "Iʼm confused. You know Lyssa?" Dean said, speaking up for the first time. Mrs. Marks smiled and shook her head. "Come on in boys." she said, moving away from the door and motioning them in.

"So, you know Sammy?" Dean asked once they were settled into the living room. "Of course I do. Jessica brought him along to our family reunion last summer." Mrs. Marks said, patting Sam on the knee and giving him a small smile. "Rachel is Jessicaʼs aunt." Sam explained. Dean nodded in understanding. "So, what can I help you boys with?" Rachel asked, maneuvering away from the subject of Jessica.

"Well, my brother and I are looking for Lyssa Moore." Sam explained. Rachel nodded and got up from her chair. She walked over to a bookshelf and pulled out what looked like an old photo album. She reached in and pulled out a photo, handing it to the boys. "This is Lyssa and Jessica at Jessicaʼs graduation." Rachel said, pointing to the two girls in the photo. Jessica was in her cap and gown and standing next to a girl who was an average hight, light chestnut haired woman who had deep, dark blue eyes and was wearing a beautiful light green sundress that cut off on one shoulder.

"Jessica knew her?" Sam asked, looking up from the photo and at the older woman. "Of course Jessica knew Lyssa. Lyssa is Jessicaʼs oldest cousin. Her mother was mine and Jasonʼs youngest sister." she said, taking the picture back when it was handed back to her. "Whereʼs her mother now?" Dean asked. Rachel was hesitant to answer, but decided there was nothing to worried about.

"Madelyn, my younger sister by four years, left home when she was eighteen to be a nun at a Catholic church in Columbus, Michigan. When she left, our parents disowned her and cut off all contact with her. The only ones she kept in contact with was me and Jason. Two moths after she left, she called me and told me she was pregnant. I was so happy for my little sister, but I knew she would get into trouble with the church.

"When she told me how it happened, I understood and knew that she wouldnʼt get into trouble. It was tragic, but something good came out of it all. Anyway, Madelyn died in childbirth and the next week, Lyssa was sent here to live with my husband and I. We couldnʼt have kids at the time and were so happy when she came to us. A nine years later our son was born and we raised them as siblings.

"Of course they know that their not actually brother and sister, but they act like it." she said, pulling out a second photo and handing it to Sam. In the photo was Lyssa and a young boy with dark red hair, dark brown eyes, and a childish face. "Thatʼs my son, John, on his fifteenth birthday." Rachel explained.

"I remember him. He was at the family reunion. Why wasnʼt Lyssa there?" Sam asked, handing the picture back. Rachel laughed and put the photo album back on the bookshelf. "She was a little busy with school. She had a lot of work that week and decided not to go." Rachel explained, sitting back down in her chair. "Where is Lyssa anyway?" Dean asked, trying to get back on topic.

Rachel looked down at her watch and then out the window. "She should be at work right now. If you boys want, sheʼll be home around 6 to pick up some things before she heads down to Mrs. Jacksonʼs. I hate to be this way, but I have to go pick John up from football practice." she said, getting up with the boys. "Thank you, Rachel." Sam said, smiling at the shorter woman. Rachel smiled back and gave Sam a tight hug in return.

"Well, weʼve got an hour till this Lyssa is supposed to be back. Why donʼt we stop by that coffee shop we passed on the way into town and lay low for now." Sam said, sliding into the passenger seat of the Impala. "There was a coffee shop?" Dean asked, sliding into the driverʼs seat. "Yeah. Kinda small, not noticeable if youʼre not paying attention."

"You saying I donʼt pay attention?" Dean asked, starting the car. Sam shook his head as Dean pulled the car off the side of the road and into the minimal traffic on the suburb street. The drive to the coffee shop was short and peaceful. "Wow, kinda dead around here considering itʼs so close to the campus." Sam said, as Dean pulled up to the small shop. "Maybe everyoneʼs got better things to do on a Friday night than spend it at a coffee shop." Dean retorted, parking the Impala.

Sam rolled his eyes and got out of the car, Dean following after him. "You definitely seem like the kinda guy who would hang out at the coffee shop to "study" after school." Dean said, looking around at the scenery. Before Sam could retort to Deanʼs comment, Dean stopped walking. "What college is this?" he asked. Sam looked around and then back at Dean. "Well, weʼre in Cambridge, Massachusetts and judging by the size of the campus, Iʼd say Harvard." Sam answered.

"Damn. Ivy League territory. Top class shit." Dean said with a grin as he started walking again.

"Well, Iʼll get us some coffee. Find us a nice cozy spot." Dean smirked, shrugging his jacket off and tossing it to Sam. Sam caught the jacket and went to find them a place to sit in the deserted coffee shop.

"Hello?" Dean called when he got up to the counter, finding no one there. "Hold on please! Iʼll be out in a sec!" came a call from the room towards the back. A few seconds later a shorter girl with wavy chestnut hair to the middle of her back and dark blue eyes walked out from the back of the room. Dean glanced down at her name tag and smirked. "Lyssa. Thatʼs a pretty name." Dean said, smirk still in place.

"Thanks. It was my grandmotherʼs too. What can I get for you?" she asked, smiling brightly at the older Winchester. "Um, two black coffees."

"Coming right up. Iʼll bring them to your table once theyʼre done." she said, turning to the coffee machine. "Thanks." Dean said, giving her a charming smile and made his way to the table where Sam was sitting with his compute open. "Shouldnʼt look up porn in a public place, Sammy. People might get the wrong idea." Dean said, sitting across from his brother. Sam gave him a pointed look and then went back to his computer. "Iʼm trying to find out where Lyssa works. Maybe we can catch up to her before she heads back to Rachelʼs." Sam said. Dean couldnʼt help but smirk. "Stalking chicks online? Not cool, dude. Whatʼd you find?" Dean asked.

"Well, there isnʼt much to find on her. Her recordʼs squeaky clean. All Iʼve found is her high school record. And thatʼs virtually perfect. The only thing wrong with it is that she failed calculus in the 10th grade and had to retake it in the 11th. Other than that, she had perfect grades. Nothing below an A." Sam said, scrolling through Lyssaʼs high school records. "Well, I may have gotten a better lead than you did." Dean said, smirking at his little brother.

"Whatʼd you mean?" Sam said, shutting his laptop and putting it back into his bag. "Two black coffees. Sorry it took so long. The machine was giving me a little trouble." came a voice from behind Sam. He turned around and then back to Dean, raising an eyebrow. "Thanks, Lyssa." Dean said, giving her another charming smile and taking the coffee cup offered to him. "Thanks." Sam said, taking the cup from her and then giving Dean an understanding and astonished look.

"Okay, I hate to say this, but you look really familiar. Have I seen you around here before?" Lyssa said abruptly, turning to Sam. "Sammyʼs got one of those faces." Dean joked, taking a sip of his coffee. "Sam? Winchester?" Lyssa asked, looking surprised at the younger brother. Sam gave her a small smile and nodded his head. "Yeah." he said, not wanting her to know that he already knew who she sorta was.

"Oh my god!" she said, throwing her arms around Samʼs neck. He let out a huff of air and glared at Dean when he gave his younger brother gave him a suggestive smirk while taking a drink of his coffee. Lyssa quickly pulled away and cleared her throat, fixing the dark blue uniform polo she was wearing. "Sorry. Um, I should explain." she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

Dean tried to stifle a laugh by taking another drink of his coffee. Sam shot him another bad look and then looked back up at Lyssa, giving her a small smile. "You dated my cousin before she died, Jessica Moore." she said, leaning against the table that was sitting behind her. Sam knew all this but decided to play it off as stupid. "And you are?" he asked. "Lyssa Moore, but a lot of people call me Lee." she said, extending her hand to the youngest Winchester.

"Wait, are you Lee? The Lee that Jessica would email constantly?" Sam asked, his eyes widening as he looked up at the "mysterious" woman. She nodded and then smiled sadly. "I miss her emails." she said softly. Then, any sign of sadness disappeared from her face as she pushed all the saddening thoughts of Jessica to the back of her mind. "She used to talk about you all the time in her messages. She said you were, uh, what was the word she used?" she asked herself, pausing for a minute to think back to all the emails that Jessica had sent that talked about Sam. "I donʼt remember what it was, but it was good!" she said abruptly, causing the brothers to jump. Just as Lyssa was about to say something else, the chime on the door when off.

"Iʼll be back in a minute." she said, pushing off the table and waving at the man who walked through the door. He was a rather tall man, with light brown hair, a pair of horn rimmed glasses, bright green eyes, and a bright smile. He put the brief case he was carrying and his coat down on the table next to the door and then headed over to the counter where Lyssa was waiting.

"Professor Baker, what can I get for you today?" she asked, smiling up at the older man and already making something for him. "Lee, whatʼve I told you about calling me professor outside of class?" he lightly chided, grinning when she laughed. "Sorry, Matthew. Iʼm not used to the whole not being formal with teachers after schoolʼs out thing." she apologized, handing him a to-go cup.

"Not a problem." he said, taking a sample taste of the coffee. "Perfect as always. Are you still babysitting? Morgan said something about you not being in the dorms tonight." he said, leaning against the counter. "Yeah. Mrs. Johnson again. I love Kelly and Jason. Theyʼre two of the sweetest kids Iʼve ever met." she answered with a bright smile.

"Okay, sheʼs at least half his age and heʼs flirting worse than I wouldʼve." Dean complained, looking away from the scene happening in front of him. "Hey, do you see that?" Sam asked, ignoring Deanʼs previous comment. Dean looked back up at the two at the counter and frowned in confusion. "See what?"

"There, on the back of his neck." Sam said, keeping his voice quiet. "Is that a mordetis mark?" he asked rhetorically. Dean and Sam exchanged a look and then looked back. "That would explain why heʼs all chummy with her." Dean commented. "We canʼt leave her alone with him, Dean. He wonʼt do anything if thereʼre people around. Heʼd wait till they were alone." Sam said.

"Well then, weʼd better keep an eye on this one." Dean said, keeping a close eye on Lyssa.


	3. A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place between "Bloody Mary" and "Skin".

**Chapter Three-A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed Part 2**

**Third Person POV**

"Sorry about that, guys. He comes in everyday and orders the same thing. I guess itʼs just become routine." Lyssa said, walking back over to the Winchesterʼs table after Professor Baker had left with his order. "Donʼt worry about it." Dean said, giving her a lovely smile. She smiled back and leaned against the table she had been before. "I donʼt think I ever caught your name. Iʼd give you mine, but Iʼve already introduced myself to Sam and, well, itʼs written on my shirt." she said, gesturing to the name tag.

"Dean Winchester. Sammyʼs older brother and the better looking one." Dean answered, taking the hand she offered and brought to his lips and gave it a light kiss. Lyssa quickly pulled her hand away and turned her face to hide the blush that creeped up onto her cheeks. "So, I was wondering, whyʼs this place so empty?" Sam asked, glaring at his brother. Dean leaned back in his chair and smirked.

"Iʼm not sure. Itʼs usually packed on a Friday afternoon. Before I started working here, I came her all the time to study. I think it has something to do with the week off we have. Everyoneʼs headed home probably." she said, turning her attention to Sam. "You go to school here?" Sam asked astounded. Lyssa couldnʼt keep the grin off her face as she nodded yes. "There were only two from my high school that were accepted, a friend of mine and myself."

Sam and Lyssa spent the next ten minutes talking about college life until Lyssa glanced at the clock and jumped up. "Crap! I have to close up, guys. Iʼm so sorry! I hope to see you around sometime soon." she said before rushing to the back of the shop. Dean looked at Sam and shrugged his shoulders. "Well then, let the stalking begin." Dean said, getting up and shrugging his jacket on.

As soon as they made it out the door, Sam hit Dean in the shoulder. "Ow, what the hell?" Dean asked, rubbing his shoulder. It didnʼt hurt, it was more of a subconscious reaction. "What the hell were you think hitting on her? Thereʼs a reason weʼre here and itʼs not for you to sleep with her." Sam scolded as they crossed the street towards the Impala. "Come on, Sammy. It was just a little harmless flirting. Anyways, sheʼs hot." Dean retorted, smirking the entire time.

Sam rolled his eyes and opened the passenger door, sliding in at the same time as Dean. "Just donʼt do anything stupid." Sam uttered under his breath.

Lyssa walked out of the back of the coffee shop, pulling her arms through her jacket, only to find that Sam and Dean had left. She felt bad about kicking them out like that, but she wasnʼt willing to loose her job because she didnʼt close up on time and she still had to stop by her auntʼs to pick up a few things before heading to Mrs. Johnsonʼs. Grabbing her bag off the small chair behind the counter, she headed out the door and

locked it behind herself. She quickly walked back around the shop to where the small parking lot was located. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a set of keys and pressed the unlock button and unlocked the only car in the small lot. She put the keys into her jacket pocket and walked over to the silver Prius Sport.

She opened the door and slid in, threw her bag into the passenger seat, pulled her keys from her pocket, started the car, and backed out. The drive to her auntʼs wasnʼt too long, only about fifteen minutes, so she didnʼt bother with the radio.

She pulled into the driveway of her auntʼs house and parked behind their white mini van.

She got out and paused, looking across the street. She could have sworn she saw that ʼ67 Impala back at the coffee shop. Shaking her head, she put it to the back of her mind as just her being paranoid and walked up the small walkway that lead to the front porch.

Before she could even knock, the door flew open and a ball of red hair flew at her.

The next thing she knew, she was being picked up and spun around the porch. "Lee! Youʼre home! Iʼve missed you so much!" the ball of red hair said, giving Lyssa a big squeeze. "Itʼs good to see you too, John, but could you put me down? I canʼt breath." she said, trying to breath in. John might have been nine years younger than Lyssa, but he was much taller than her.

"Sorry." he apologized weakly, rubbing the back of his neck and giving her a sheepish smile. Lyssa just smiled and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, "I missed you too, Johnny." John wrinkled his nose at the old nickname and walked back into the house.

Lyssa laughed and followed after him. "Whereʼs mom?" she asked, following after her surrogate brother.

"Kitchen." he replied and then went upstairs when his dad called for him. Lyssa made her way to the kitchen and leaned against the door, watching in amusement as her aunt tried to fit too much spaghetti sauce into too small a pan. "You should probably use a bigger pan." Lyssa commented, making her presence known. Rachel turned around and glared at her. "Donʼt tell me how to cook." she said, causing Lyssa to laugh.

Pushing off the wall, Lyssa walked over to Rachel and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. After they parted, Rachel went back to her sauce and Lyssa jumped up to sit on the counter. "So, are you spending your week off with us or with Morgan?" Rachel asked, going over to the sink to wash her hands. "Morganʼs heading home to spend time with her dad. She said she might come visit for a day or two, though." Lyssa explained. "I love her dad. Heʼs so sweet and would do anything for his little girl." Rachel said, putting the pot over the burner so the sauce would start heating up.

"I canʼt stay long. I have to be at Mrs. Johnsonʼs in ten minutes. Traffic was worse than Iʼd originally planned and now Iʼm running a little late." Lyssa said, sounding a little disappointed. Rachel laughed and leaned on the counter next to Lyssa. "Shouldʼve planned ahead." she teased, bumping Lyssaʼs leg with her elbow. "I did plan ahead. My plan just didnʼt go the way Iʼd planned."

Rachel chuckled and patted Lyssaʼs knee. "Go get ready and get outta here. Your father and I are going out tonight and leaving John here alone. I told him if he had any problems to come down the street and get you." Rachel explained, pushing off the counter and walking back over to the stove to check her sauce to make sure it didnʼt burn. "Okay. No problem." Lyssa said, hopping off the counter and fixing her shirt.

She walked over and wrapped her arms around Rachel in a tight hug. "Iʼll see you tomorrow and I love you." she whispered, tightening her hold. Rachel smiled and returned the hug. "Love you too, sweetie." she said with a smile before Lyssa let her go. Lyssa left the kitchen and headed upstairs to her old bedroom. Most parents, when their child leaves for college, change said childʼs room to an office, spare bedroom, or even an exercise room, but not Rachel and Matthew.

They had left Lyssaʼs room exactly how sheʼd left it and it made Lyssa smile every time she came home and went up to her old room.

**Lyssaʼs POV**

I couldnʼt help the tight feeling I felt in my chest when I opened the door and walked in. Everything was left exactly the way Iʼd left it. The only difference was that the bedding had been changed. Walking over to the closet across from my bed, I reached up to the shelf at the top and pulled down an old shoe box. The last time Iʼd babysat Kelly and Jason, Iʼd promised Iʼd bring them each a surprise.

Luckily they were both still really young and I didnʼt have to worry about going all out on the surprise. Theyʼd be happy with just about anything.

I sat the old shoe box down on my bed and opened it. Inside were momentous from my childhood. Rummaging through the multiple drawings and paintings, I found what I was looking for and put them both in my bad carefully. I made sure to put the lid back on the old box and put it back where Iʼd found it. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I heard a terrible sound coming from the room next to mine.

Walking out and over to said room, I paused outside of the door. Deciding I didnʼt really feel like knocking, I opened the door and walked in. Just as I walked in, John fell off his bed with a surprised yell. "Were you talking to yourself?" I asked as he took my hand and I pulled him up. "Of course I was talking to myself. I needed expert advice." he said smugly, fixing his shirt. I couldnʼt help it when I doubled over in laughter.

"Hey! Donʼt come into my room and laugh at me!" he said, flopping back onto his bed. I stifled my laughing and collapsed next him. "So, what was that ear retching sound I head a couple of minutes ago?" I asked, crossing my arms behind my head as I looked up at the ceiling where there was a small hole. I looked over at John and raised an eyebrow. "Do I wanna know?" I asked skeptically.

John threw his arm over his face and tried not to laugh. "I had an accident with the ceiling fan earlier. Dad gave me the drill to fix it and then I may have lost control of said drill and drilled a hole in my ceiling." he explained, his voice slightly muffled by his arm. I pursed my lips, trying to keep myself from laughing. "Whyʼd dad trust you with a drill? He shouldʼve known better then that." I said through deep breaths.

John rolled his eyes and let out an amused laugh of his own. "Apparently not."

**Third Person POV**

After what felt like hours of sitting and talking with her brother, she finally made her way out the front door. She couldnʼt help but pause again and look at the black Impala that was still parked across the street. She had to admit to herself that she didnʼt think it was her being paranoid anymore. It was a beautiful car, but she knew sheʼd seen it somewhere before.

She was pulled from her thoughts when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Pulling out her phone, she slid into the driverʼs seat and opened the message.

 _Call me when you get the chance. I wanna talk to you about classes next week.-MM_  Lyssa rolled her eyes and replied.

_Youʼre nuts. Schoolʼs out for the next week. Iʼm not going to talk about school.-LM_

Lyssa threw her phone into the passenger seat and backed out of the driveway, making the short drive to Mrs. Johnsonʼs.

"Lyssa, I canʼt thank you enough. Thomas and I need this break so much." the little red headed woman who was Mrs. Johnson said with a large, thankful smile of her face. "Itʼs not problem at all, Mrs. Johnson. Iʼm willing to babysit anytime." Lyssa replied. Mrs. Johnson went back into the house and Lyssa followed. Once they were inside, Lyssa was attacked by Kelly and Jason.

"Hey, calm down, munchkins!" Lyssa said, laughing and hugging both of them back. "Rebecca and I will be back around midnight. Make sure these two are in bed by then." Mr. Johnson said, slipping his jacket on. Lyssa could never understand how Mrs. Johnson, a sweet little woman, could find anything in Thomas Johnson. He was rude, discourteous, and disrespectful to anyone he thought wasnʼt as good as him.

"Yes sir." Lyssa said respectfully. Mrs. Johnson gave Lyssa one last thankful smile and walked out the door with Mr. Johnson. Once she was sure the Johnsonʼs were far enough away, Lyssa knelt down so she was eye level with the kids. "I bring gifts!" she said, laughing when they both got excited looks on their faces. Lyssa slug her bad off her shoulder and reached inside. "For Kelly, because your the youngest," she said, pulling out an old worn out book. "It was mine when I was your age. An...old friend of mine used to read it to me before I went to bed. It has some of my favorite stories in it." she said, handing the old, worn out book to the blonde girl. Taking the book, Kelly looked at the title and smiled even though she couldnʼt read.

"I love it!" she said, clutching it to her chest and then wrapped her arms around Lyssa in a tight hug. Lyssa quickly returned the hug and then turned to the black haired boy with round glasses. "And you, Jason, get something that belonged to John when he was your age. He was going to throw it away, but I saved it just in case." she said, reaching into her bag again.

She pulled out Johnʼs old, worn out baseball glove from when he went through his baseball stage. She knew how much Jason loved baseball, but his dad wouldnʼt let him play because he wanted his son to play football like he did when he was in school. Jason took the glove tentatively and then gave Lyssa a questioning look. "Dad doesnʼt let me play baseball." he said.

Even though he was only ten, Jason had serious issues with his father. Lyssa felt bad for him and every time she came to babysit, she made sure to give both children the attention she knew their father didnʼt give them. "Itʼll be our little secret." she said, giving him a wink and then standing up. "Can we play?" Jason asked after moments of contemplation. "Of course." Lyssa said, ruffling his hair. Jason gave her a wide grin and ran into the backyard.

Lyssa looked down when there was a tug on the hem of her shirt. "Will you read me a story tonight before I go to bed, like your friend did for you?" Kelly asked, giving Lyssa the biggest wide-eye look she possibly could. Lyssa chuckled. "Of course. Why donʼt you come outside and supervise our little baseball game?" she asked, brushing Kellyʼs hair back from her face. Kelly nodded and ran upstairs to put her book down and then ran after her brother outside.

A few hours later, all three of them sat at the kitchen counter eating dinner. When Lyssa asked what they wanted, they both shouted Mac ʻnʼ Cheese. The kids had about half an hour till they had to be in bed and Lyssa was glad that sheʼd made their day a little better. Once they were done with dinner, Lyssa sent both of them upstairs to get ready for bed while she washed the dishes.

Lyssa walked into Jasonʼs room and sat on the edge of his bed when he was tucked in and ready for sleep. "Thanks for the glove, Lee." he said. Lyssa smiled and ruffled his hair. "Our little secret?" she asked. He nodded and leaned up to hug her. She hugged him back and shut off the light that was on his nightstand before getting up and shutting his door.

She went to the room next Jasonʼs which was Kellyʼs. She walked in and smiled when she saw Kelly hiding under the blankets. "Well, I guess since Kelly isnʼt here, I canʼt read her a story. I guess Iʼll just have to go downstairs and see if I can find someone to read to." she said, turning around and was about to leave when she heard a giggle. "Iʼm right here, Lee!" she said, throwing the blankets from over her head and throwing her small arms up in the air.

Lyssa laughed and sat on the edge of Kellyʼs bed. "So, which story do you want me read?" she asked, grabbing the book off the nightstand where Kellyʼd put it earlier. "The second one. It has the prettiest pictures." she said, hugging the pink rabbit in her arms tighter. Lyssa shifted so that Kelly was sitting in her lap and could see the pictures while she read the story about knights, princesses, and dragons.

Lyssa shut Kellyʼs door quietly and headed downstairs. She flopped onto the couch and jumped when there was a knock at the door. She glanced at her watch and raised an eyebrow. It was only 10:15. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson wouldnʼt be back and they wouldnʼt knock at their own door.

Lyssa got up off the couch and headed for the front door. She looked out the peep hole and stepped back from the door confused. She opened the door slightly and gave a small smile. "Professor Bak-I mean Matthew, whatʼre you doing here? At this time of night?" she asked, her smile faltering a little.


	4. A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place between "Bloody Mary" and "Skin".

**Chapter Four-A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed Part 3**

**Third Person POV**

Dean smacked Samʼs arm when he saw Lyssa open the front door of the Johnsonʼs house and greet her teacher. "Whatʼs she doing?" Dean asked when Lyssa let Matthew into the house. "Well, she does know him. Itʼs not like heʼs some stranger." Sam countered. "Yeah well, I donʼt like the looks of this. He canʼt be alone with her." Dean said, opening the driverʼs door and getting out. Sam followed suit and got out as well. "So, whatʼs your big plan, genius?" Sam asked as they snuck up on the house.

"Donʼt know yet." Dean said as they hid behind a bush and peeked inside the window. "I feel like such a creeper right now." Sam said, looking through the window and into the living room where Lyssa and Matthew were talking. "If we donʼt make our move at the right time, heʼs going to bite her and make the rest of her life a living hell. We canʼt let that happen, Sammy." Dean said, turning to his brother. Sam nodded and went back to watching the two in the living room.

**Lyssaʼs POV**

"So, whatʼre you doing here?" I asked, handing Matthew the glass of water he requested. "Like I said, I want to talk to you about your grades." he said. I sat on the arm of the couch, waiting for him to continue. I couldnʼt help but think he looked extremely different. He wasnʼt wearing his usual black slacks, button down shirt, and usually black tie. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt. He looked like a completely different man.

"I thought my grades were pretty good. I know theyʼre not perfect, but Iʼm not failing any of my classes." I said, trying to fill the silence that had fallen in the room. "Well, I may have lied." he said, setting his untouched water down on the end table in front of the couch. "I wanted to ask you a question. Well, not a question. More of a request." he said, hiding the smirk thatʼd formed on his lips.

"Okay." I said, starting to feel a little nervous now. "Well, weʼve been having a little trouble and I need your help. I choose you because thereʼs something about you that make you different than the others. I thought about Morgan, but she didnʼt seem like the right choice." he explained, moving closer to me in a stalkerish way. I tried to back up, but realized that the couch was behind me. "Right choice for what?" I asked nervously.

He smirked at me and placed his hand on my thigh, causing me to flinch. "We need help repopulating our race. There arenʼt many of us left and weʼve been having trouble finding the right mate to carry our offspring. We need women who are susceptible to our...genetics." he went on, dragging his hand higher up my thigh until it stopped at my waist. I swallowed hard and stared wide-eyed at him. Iʼd stopped listening after the word repopulate. My brain started working in overdrive.

I tried to move backwards, over the couch if I had to, but was stopped when he wrapped his other arm around my waist. "Donʼt struggle. Itʼll be much easier and less painful if you donʼt. I donʼt want to hurt you, Lee. Itʼll all be clear soon." he said, brushing a few strands of hair away with the hand thatʼd been resting on my hip. He moved said hand to the back of my head and grabbed a handful of my hair, not roughly but enough to keep me from trying to escape, and tilted my head to the side.

I knew I should scream for help, but I couldnʼt find my voice. I was too terrified to do anything. My chest felt like it was constricting and my throat was suddenly drier than itʼd ever felt before. I tried pulling back, but his grip became tighter and I could feel he was stronger than the average man and it terrified me even more. He leaned forward and nuzzled my neck, causing me to squirm in his grasp.

"Calm down, sweetheart. The more you struggle, the more painful itʼll be for you." he said.

**Third Person POV**

Lyssa let out a slight whimper and tears began to form in her eyes when her licked her neck. Right at that moment, the front door was kicked in. Matthew didnʼt flinch or move away from Lyssa and kept his ground. "You boys shouldnʼt interfere in what you donʼt understand." he said, his voice dropping dangerously low. "We know exactly whatʼs going on. You should do the right thing and let her go." came a deep voice from the doorway.

Lyssa couldnʼt turn her head to see who it was, but she could swear sheʼd heard that voice somewhere before. There was a long pause before Matthew suddenly jerked away from Lyssa and hit the wall that was behind him. Lyssa slid down to the floor and her vision went blank, but she could here everything that was going on around her. "Big mistake, hotshot. Now Iʼm going to have to make things difficult." Matthew said. Then she heard something glass break and then then there was silence.

She felt someone kneel down next to her and she clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to see who it was. She was afraid it might be Matthew again, but was hoping it was whoever broke into the house. She never thought sheʼd be happy that someoneʼd broke into the house, but this time it was perfect timing. "Lyssa? Are you alright? Did he bite you?" came another familiar voice.

Lyssa slowly opened her eyes and saw the concerned face of Sam Winchester. Her eyes widened and the next this she knew, she was throwing her arms around his neck and letting the tears fall freely. "Hey, itʼs gonna be alright." he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her back in comforting circles. Sam looked up as Dean came down the stairs. "The kids are sleeping peacefully. Didnʼt seem to hear anything." he said, coming over to stand next to the two while Lyssa still had her face buried in Samʼs shirt.

After a few minutes of just letting everything flow, Lyssa finally got hold of herself and pried away from Sam. "You alright?" Dean asked, his face etched with concern. Lyssa nodded and tried to stand up, only to stumble. Luckily, Dean caught her arm and shifted her so that she landed on the couch. "Keep an eye on her. Iʼm gonna do a perimeter check. Make sure he isnʼt still around the house." Sam said, sending a concerned glance at Lyssa before heading out the back door.

"You sure youʼre alright? You look really pale." Dean asked, keeping his arm on herʼs in case she needed to move again. Lyssa nodded, knowing her voice would betray her and decided not to trust it. She let her head sag a little as she took deep breaths and tried to calm her breathing and heartbeat.

Sam came back a few minutes later and reported that there was no sign of Matthew anywhere. "We should take you home." Dean said, glancing up at Sam for conformation on the idea. "I canʼt just leave Kelly and Jason." she said so quietly that the boys werenʼt sure theyʼd heard her. Sam and Dean exchanged a look and had a silent agreement. "Alright, but youʼre not staying here alone. One of us will stay here with you. We donʼt want any repeats." Sam said.

Lyssa nodded and brought her legs up so she could hug them to her chest, resting her head on her knees and letting her eyes close and more tears fall.

The boys decided that Dean would stay with Lyssa while Sam took the Impala and drove around the neighborhood to see if Matthew was anywhere in sight. "What was he?" Lyssa asked softly, not moving from the position sheʼd been in for what felt like hours. Dean contemplated telling her the truth or just lying to her. Deciding it was better to tell her the truth, he pushed off the wall he was leaning on and walked over to sit next to her on the couch. "Heʼs whatʼs known as...a Mordetis. Theyʼre a very...rare race now and they...ʻpreyʼ on women whoʼre able to...bear their children." Dean explained, struggling with putting things delicately. That was more Sammyʼs area.

"What wouldʼve happened if heʼd bitten me?" she asked nervously, not too sure she wanted to know the answer. Dean ran a hand down his face and rested his elbows on his knees. "I donʼt really know how to explain it, but I can give you something that might help." he said, giving her a small smile when she glanced at him. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out his dadʼs journal.

Once heʼd flipped to the page about Mordetis, he handed her the journal. Lyssa tentatively took the old journal and started to read. There wasnʼt too much on their race, but there was enough to know what Matthewʼd been trying to do and how he was going to do it. The section in the journal said that Mordetis were men and when they bit their chosen mate, they became impregnated with a Mordetis spawn. According to the section, Mordetis "sperm" was discharged into the bite wound.

Lyssa closed the journal and rested her head back on her knees. "I donʼt know how to thank you enough." she whispered, feeling more tears forming in her eyes. Dean was about to replay when Sam came through the front door, causing Lyssa to jump. "No sign of him anywhere." he said, shutting the front door and walking into the living room. "You guys better leave. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson will be back anytime now and I donʼt any of us to get into trouble." Lyssa said, standing up suddenly.

Dean stood up as well incase she started to swoon again, "I donʼt think you should be left alone."

"We can wait in the Impala and then follow her home. That way we can keep an eye on the house while sheʼs still here and then while sheʼs back home." Sam offered. Dean nodded and placed a calming hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "Weʼll be right outside if you need us."

Lyssa nodded and smiled halfheartedly, but sincerely at the brothers. "Alright." she said. Ten minutes later, Dean and Sam were sitting in the Impala when Mr. and Mrs. Johnson pulled into their driveway. "Whatʼs with the whole compassionate thing?" Sam asked, watching as Mr. Johnson helped his wife out of their SUV. "Whatʼd you mean?" Dean asked, resting his head on the headrest. "Youʼre not usually this caring about the people we help unless you want to sleep with them." he said, pausing before looking at his brother. "Youʼre not doing this just to get her into bed, are you?"

Dean couldnʼt help but smirk and then became serious. "Iʼm not doing this because I want to sleep with her, Sammy. Iʼm doing this because of a hunt dad and I went on while you were off at college. Dad and I didnʼt get there in time and the Mordetis had three women already ʻunder his controlʼ. It was terrible and I donʼt want to see that happen to anyone. Especially not someone as nice as her." Dean explained.

Sam stared at his brother and nodded. Now he understood. Even though he put on the whole "I only care about what happens to me" facade, but it was at times like these that you got to see the compassionate side of the older Winchester.

Both brothers looked up when they heard the Johnsonʼs front door open and Lyssa walked out. Dean started the Impala when Lyssa got into her Prius and backed out of the driveway.

Lyssa pulled up behind the mini van and shut the car off, listening as the rumble from the Impala died down. She knew sheʼd seen it before and she was right. At this point, she didnʼt really care that theyʼd been stalking her all day. She was just happy theyʼd intervened when they did. She jumped when there was a knock on the driverʼs side window and looked out to see Sam and Dean waiting for her to get out.

She grabbed her bag off the passenger seat and slid out of the driverʼs seat. "I donʼt think Iʼve thanked you guys enough." she said, crossing her arms in defense against the cold night air. "It was nothing, Lyssa. As long as youʼre not hurt or anything." Sam said, giving her a small smile. Lyssa hefted her bag higher onto her shoulder. "Why donʼt you two come in. My parents are asleep and the least I can do is give you guys a place to stay for helping me." she said.

Dean and Sam exchanged contemplating glances. Dean shrugged and looked back at Lyssa. "Sure. Why not? Itʼll be nice staying somewhere else than a dirty motel." he said, giving her a genuine smile. Lyssa smile back and started towards the house with Dean and Sam behind her. Reaching into her pocket, Lyssa got her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the front door. "Donʼt worry about my mom and dad, Iʼll just tell them that youʼre friends from school and needed a place to stay for the night." Lyssa said, opening the door and stepping inside the dark house.

Just as Dean and Sam were about to step in behind her, the door slammed shut in their faces and they were thrown across the lawn. Lyssa turned around and starred wideeyed at the door before trying to turn the handle and panicking when it wouldnʼt even move.

**Lyssaʼs POV**

I spun around when I heard something move in the living room. Grabbing the closest thing to me on the table next to the door, I cautiously went into the living room. Leaning against the fireplace was Matthew, holding a bread knife. "You know, I told you if you didnʼt struggle things wouldnʼt have had to end this way." he said, twirling the knife in hands. I gripped the object I grabbed tighter in my hand and aimed it at Matthew.

Looking at what I grabbed, I couldnʼt help but groan. "Really? A letter opener! Well, itʼs better than nothing." I said to myself and retook my aim. "I have a letter opener and Iʼm not afraid to use it!" I warned. Matthew laughed and pushed off the fireplace, stalking towards me. "I wouldnʼt do that, Lee." he warned, his voice low and threatening.

"Really? Why not?" I asked, refusing to lower the letter opener.

"Why donʼt you see for yourself what already happened when my motives were...interrupted." he said, motioning to the couch that was on the right side of the fireplace. It was too dark in the living room to see anything, but when Matthew snapped his fingers and the lights turned on, I screamed. I sunk to the floor and covered my mouth to stop the blood-curdling sound from coming out of my mouth while tears streamed from my eyes.

Sitting on the couch were Rachel, Russell, and John covered in their own blood. Even with my vision blurred with tears, I could see their eyes wide open and glazed over and they werenʼt breathing. I choked back another sob and clenched my eyes shut, but couldnʼt get the image of my family lying dead on our living room couch. "I can make it all go away, Lee. I can make all the pain go away." Matthew told me, kneeling next to me and brushing hair behind my ear.

I flinched away from and stood up as quickly as my body would allow. "Stay away from me you bastard!" I yelled through my tears as I backed up. Matthew got up and walked towards me. "Donʼt make the same mistake twice, Lyssa." he threatened, using my full name which made his threat a little more real to me. "Iʼll take out everyone youʼve ever cared about if you keep rejecting me. The rest of your family, your friends, and even the Winchesters." he said, coming closer with every threat, causing me to back up even further. "Mostly the Winchesters because they're getting in my way." he added. He stopped stalking towards me when my back hit the wall.

I let out a low curse and looked up at him. He gave me an evil grin and in less than a second had me pinned to the wall. Before I could scream, he clapped a hand over my mouth and leaned into me. "Iʼll make it all go away, Lee. All the pain, sadness, hurt. Itʼll all go away and youʼll feel so much better." he whispered to me while nuzzling my hair.

**Third Person POV**

"I canʼt get the damned door open!" Dean yelled, kicking it a couple of times before stopping for a moment to catch his breath. "The windows arenʼt breaking either. He doesnʼt want us in there." Sam said, coming back over to where Dean was standing in front of the front door. "We need to get in there, Sam. Iʼm not gonna let anything happen to her. I made a promise to myself." Dean said, kicking at the door again.

There was a short pause and just when Dean was about to kick the door again, there was loud sound that sounded like thunder and then there was blinding white light that began to shine through the windows of the house. The light seemed to get brighter and brighter and then went out just as fast as it formed. The door slowly opened and revealed a darkened house.

Dean and Sam exchanged confused looks before rushing into the house and into the living room. They paused out of shock at the scene before them. All three Marks were sitting on the couch with their throats slit and Lyssa was lying on the floor passed out with a pile of what looked like ashes not too far from her. Dean knelt beside her to take her pulse while Sam checked on the Marks.

"Dean, we have to get her out of here. If the police show up, sheʼll be their top suspect." Sam said, coming over and kneeling down next to Lyssa as well. "Weʼll take her to a motel. You drive her car and Iʼll take her in the Impala." Dean said, carefully hooking one arm under her neck and shoulders and the other under her knees. On their way out of the house, Sam grabbed Lyssaʼs keys off of the ground where theyʼd fallen.

Dean carefully place Lyssa in the backseat of the Impala and closed the door. Both brothers knew the most prominent question was what the hell had happened in that house while they were locked outside, but they knew they wouldnʼt get any answers till Lyssa woke up. From a quick look over, she looked completely fine. No cuts, bruises, or bite marks. Dean slid into the driverʼs seat of the Impala as Sam slid into Lyssaʼs Prius.

The motel they decided on was pretty much the same as every other theyʼd stayed at. The brothers received more than a few odd looks as they carried the unconscious girl into the motel and payed for a room. Once it the privacy of their room, Dean laid Lyssa down on one of the two beds. "Whatʼd you think happened?" he asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

Sam took a deep breath and scratched the top of his head, giving Lyssa a contemplative look before looking back to his brother. "I have no idea. Iʼve never seen anything like that in all the time weʼve been hunting. It looked like Matthew had been disintegrated right in front of her. Thereʼs no plausible explanation for that, right?" Sam asked.

"I donʼt know, Sammy. Guess weʼll have to wait till she wakes up. You get the couch." Dean said, walking over and falling onto the second bed in the room. Sam gave his brother a questioning and baffled look. "Why do I get the couch?"

"Iʼm older." Dean said in a matter-of-fact tone with a shrug of his shoulders before throwing his arm over his face and did his best to try and get some sleep. Sam rolled his eyes, walking over to the couch and lying down. It wasnʼt as bad as heʼd thought it would be, but he wouldʼve preferred a bed. Not that he would ever consider sharing with Dean. With a shudder at the thought of having to share a bed with Dean, he maneuvered into a more comfortable position and fell asleep.


	5. A Fate Worse Than Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place between "Bloody Mary" and "Skin".

**Chapter Five-A Fate Worse Than Death**

**Lyssa's POV**

I groaned and rolled over, feeling the bed protest underneath me and ignoring the pounding in my head. My eyebrows furrowed when I ran my hand over the bedding. I realized that it wasn't my usually bedding at home or even the dorm, I shot up in bed and took in my surroundings. It was still dark out, so the room wasn't very well lit. From what I could see, it looked like a motel room. Squinting so I could try and see things better, I saw one other form in the room with me on the second bed in the room.

At that point, everything crashed down on me. I realized that what had happened the night before hadn't been a nightmare and that the other person in the room was either Sam or Dean. I jumped and let out a small squeak when the door to the motel room opened and a tall figure walked in. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." came the soft, whispering voice of Sam.

Then I lost it. I couldn't hold it back anymore. All the tears from everything came rushing through and I felt my body collapse from the intense feelings that washed over my mind. Feeling the bed dip with the weight of another person, I let them pull myself to them and cried into their shoulder.

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"I'm so sorry, Lyssa. This shouldn't have happened to you. Or anyone for that matter." Sam comforted and let Lyssa cry into his shoulder. He knew this was going to be hard on her and he knew it would take a while for her to come to terms with everything that had happened and what she'd seen. He felt bad for her. She didn't deserve to be dragged into this.

After a while, Sam felt Lyssa's body relax in, what he assumed was emotional exhaustion. Laying her back down, he noticed that her face was tear struck and she looked exhausted beyond belief. "How is she?" came a voice from behind Sam as he stood up from Lyssa's bed. Sam turned around to see Dean had woken up and was already putting his shoes back on. "I hope better when she wakes up again." Sam said, running a hand through his hair.

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**Two Days Later**

"How are you feeling, dear? Are you alright?" Lyssa's Aunt Carol asked, placing a comforting hand on Lyssa's shoulder. "Yes, Aunt Carol. I'll be fine." Lyssa said, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. Carol gave her niece a sympathetic smile and went back to her husband, Jason's, side. As they were all standing around the grave site of what was once the Marks family, Lyssa couldn't help but feel that the rest of her family was blaming her for their deaths.

The rest of the service was beautiful and each member of the Marks family was honored. Lyssa refused to let anymore tears fall and let what was left of her family see how broken she was.

Carol walked over to Lyssa once the ceremony was finished and hugged her tight before leaving with Jason. Lyssa felt her heart wretch when her uncle wouldn't even give her a second glance, which only made her feel worse than she already did. She couldn't bring herself to leave with everyone else and stayed where the headstones were going to be placed in a couple of days.

After what felt like hours of standing there and staring at the graves of her family, she jumped when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Spinning around, she saw Dean and Sam standing there dressed in simple black suits. "Sorry we didn't come to the actual service, but we thought it might be a little awkward with Jason and Carol." Sam said, smiling softly at the shorter woman.

Lyssa gave the boys a sad smile and turned back to her previous position. "Don't worry about it, boys. You've done enough as it is and I thank you so much for that." she said, refusing to look at the brothers for fear that she might start crying again. After a couple of moments of silence from the three, Lyssa turned around and looked at the brothers, giving them a sad smile.

The boys returned it and then exchanged a look before Dean spoke up. "So, have you thought about what we asked?"

Lyssa nodded and looked at the ground.

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**Two Days Earlier**

" _So, what now? I can't just let something like this go. That thing killed my family." Lyssa said, still sitting on the bed while hugging her knees closer to her chest and staring out into the motel room._

" _You could come with us." Dean said on impulse, surprising himself and causing Sam to shoot him a confused look. "Um, what I mean is…" Dean started to say, but stopped when he couldn't come up with anything. He looked to Sam for help. "I think what Dean means is that…um…because of what's happened, maybe you'd like to come with us and…learn how to…defend yourself…if something like this happens again?" Sam sort of explained, looking to his brother to see if it was the right explanation._

_Dean thought about what Sam had said and nodded._

" _You guys would do that?" Lyssa asked, looking at the brothers for the first time in hours. Sam gave her a small smile and Dean nodded. Lyssa bit her lip and looked back at the wall, thinking about what the boys had said. "I need some time to think." She said after a moment of silence before getting up and grabbing her bag off one of the table chairs. After she was in the bathroom and the shower had started, Sam looked at Dean in disbelief. "What the hell, dude?"_

" _I don't know. It just sort of…happened." Dean said, running a hand down his face. Sam sighed and stood up from his seat on the other bed. "Dean, we can't just bring her into this life. That's probably the worst thing we can do." He said._

" _Well, let's keep out word and teach her some self-defense. After that, it's her decision." Dean said. Sam thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Alright."_

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**Two Days Later**

"I've thought long and hard about what you guys have offered and, well, I'm in. I've got eight years left of college. I couldn't stay here that long. And it's not like I've got anything here anyway. And, well, I want to learn more than just defending myself. I want to learn how to take these bastards down. If I can help someone from going through what I've been through, then I'm in one-hundred percent." She said, looking up at the boys.

Dean took a deep breath and nodded, giving her a small smile in the process. "Well then, welcome to the world for the supernatural, Lee."

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The next couple of days went by quicker than all three of them originally anticipated. Lyssa had taken care of what was left of the funeral expenses, their house was put up for sale, she'd sent a letter to Harvard letting them know she wouldn't be back, and she'd packed up all the clothes she'd need in an old gym bag.

"You ready, princess?" Dean asked, walking into the motel room while Lyssa was putting her wallet and phone into her pockets. Lyssa sent him look, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Yeah. And don't call me princess, twinkletoes." She said, brushing past him and heading for the Impala.

"Twinkletoes?" Dean asked, following behind her. "Yup. You're light on your feet as you've demonstrated in our 'sparing session' yesterday." She explained, throwing her bag into the back seat and onto the floorboard. "Okay, so, if I'm twinkletoes, who's Sammy?" Dean asked, leaning against the trunk of the car. Lyssa laughed and leaned on the spot next to him. "Gigantor." She said simply, causing Dean to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked, walking up to the Impala. Dean pushed off the car and headed for the driver's seat and slid in. Lyssa did the same. "Nothing, gigantor." She said, hopping into the backseat and leaving Sam standing there for a second confused before he shook his head and slid into the passenger seat before leaving Boston behind them.


	6. Skin

**Chapter Six-Skin**

**Third Person POV**

Lyssa felt the Impala roll to a stop, but she was too reluctant to open her eyes. They'd been on the road for hours after stopping at a motel the day before to get some rest and she'd decided to take a nap while the boys argued in the front seat. "Alright, I figured we'd hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight." Dean said, looking in the review mirror too see Lyssa with her arm over her eyes and then looked at Sam who seemed to be ignoring him. "Sam wears women's underwear." He added, causing Lyssa to finally show signs of life by chuckling.

"I've been listening, I'm just busy." Sam said, checking his e-mails in his PalmPilot. "Busy doing what?" Dean asked, opening his door and getting ready to get out. "Reading e-mails." Sam replied. Dean got out of the car and started to fill it up with gas. "E-mails from who?" Lyssa asked, sitting up from her lying position in the backseat. "Some friends from Stanford." Sam replied, throwing a glance over his shoulder.

"You're kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?" Dean asked, glancing at his brother through the back window. "Why not?" Sam asked, looking at Dean through the window. "Well, what exactly do you tell 'em? You know, about where you've been, what you've been doin'?" Dean asked, coming up to the passenger side and leaning against the door. "I tell 'em I'm on a road trip with my big brother. I tell 'em I needed some time off after Jess." Sam explained.

"So, you lie to them." Lyssa simplified. Sam turned and looked at her. "No. I just don't tell 'em…everything." He defended. "Yeah, that's called lying." Lyssa added. Dean chuckled and rubbed his forehead. "I get it, tellin' the truth is far worse." Dean said. "So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life?" Sam asked, causing Dean to shrug. "You're serious?"

"Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can't get close to people. Very rarely does someone like Lee come along and we can actually make a friend here and there." Dean explained. "You're kind of anti-social, you know that?" Lyssa told Dean. Dean just shook his head and smiled at her. "Yeah, whatever." He told her. Lyssa rolled her eyes and leaned back onto the seat while Sam went back to reading his e-mails.

"God…" Sam said, causing Dean to turn back to his brother and Lyssa to sit up. "What?" Dean asked, leaning into the window. "In this e-mail from this girl, Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine." Sam started to explain, but was cut off by Dean. "Is she hot?" he asked, causing Lyssa to roll her eyes and Sam to give him a look before going back to his explanation. "I went to school with her, and her brother, Zack. She says Zack's been charged with murder. He's been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn't do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case."

"Dude, what kind of people are you hangin' out with?" Dean asked. "No, man, I know Zack. He's no killer." Sam said, defending his friend. "Well, maybe you know Zack as well as he knows you." Lyssa said, causing both boys to look at her. "What? It's true." She defended herself. "They're in St. Louis. We're going." Sam said, causing Dean to chuckle. "Look, sorry 'bout your buddy, okay? But this doesn't sound like out kind of problem." Dean said. "It is our problem. They're my friends." Sam countered.

"St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam." Dean tried. They were all silent for a moment before Lyssa spoke up. "Come on, Dean. What's the worst that could happen?" she said, causing Dean to look at her. Sam and Dean exchanged a look and after Dean finished filling up the Impala, he got back into the car. "I can't believe you're sticking up for him." Dean said into the rearview mirror, shaking his head when Lyssa only smirked at him as they pulled out of the gas station and headed back the way they came.

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The three stood outside a rather impressive looking house. A moment after Sam rang the doorbell, a blonde woman, who Dean and Lyssa assumed was Rebecca, opened the door. "Oh my God, Sam!" she said happily. "Well, if it isn't little Becky." Sam greeted. "You know what you can do with that little Becky crap." She said with a smile and then hugged Sam. "I got your e-mail." Sam said, pulling away. "I didn't think you'd come here." She said as Dean stepped forward and extended his hand.

"Dean. Older brother." He said, shaking Rebecca's hand. Lyssa chuckled when Dean gave her a goofy grin. Lyssa rolled her eyes and extended her hand for Rebecca to shake. "Lyssa. Friend." She said. "It's nice to meet you both." Rebecca said. "We're here to help. Whatever we can do." Sam said after everyone was introduced. Rebecca smiled and motioned for them to come inside. "Come in." She said. Sam was the first to head in, followed by Lyssa, and then Dean. "Nice place." Dean added, shutting the door.

"It's my parents'. I'm just crashing here for the long weekend when everything happened. I decided to take the semester off. I'm gonna stay until Zack's free." Rebecca said, leading them through the dining room and into the kitchen. "Where are your folks?" Sam asked.

"They live in Paris for half the year, so they're on their way home now for the trial." Rebecca explained. "Do you guys want a beer or something?"

"No, thanks. So, tell us what happened." Sam said right as Dean was about to accept Rebecca's offer. Dean shot Lyssa a bad look when she laughed at him.

"Well, um, Zack came home, and he found Emily tied to a chair. And she was beaten up and bloody, and she wasn't breathing." Rebecca explained, starting to cry. "So, he called 911, and the police-they showed up, and they arrested him. But, the thing is, the only way that Zack could've killed Emily is if he was in two places at the same time. The police-they have a video. It's from the security tape from across the street. And it shows Zack coming home at 10:30. Now, Emily was killed just after that, but I swear, he was here with me, having a few beers until at least after midnight."

"You know, maybe we could see the crime scene. Zack's house." Sam suggested, looking at Dean. "We could." Dean confirmed. Rebecca looked between the three confused. "Why? I mean, what could you do?" Rebecca asked. "Well, me, not much. But Dean and Lyssa are cops." Sam said, causing Dean to laugh and Lyssa to look at him funny. Lyssa knew they didn't play well with the law, but impersonating cops was dangerous.

"Detectives, actually." Dean corrected. "Really?" Rebecca asked, looking between Dean and Lyssa. Dean nodded and, after nudging Lyssa with his foot, she nodded as well. "Where?" Rebecca asked.

"Bissbee, Arizona. But we're off-duty now." Lyssa explained. Rebecca looked like she was about to agree for a minute, but then shook her head. "You guys, it's so nice to offer, but I just-I don't know." She said. "Bec, look, I know Zack didn't do this. Now, we have to find a way to prove that he's innocent." Sam said, trying to get his friend to understand. Rebecca thought about what Sam had said and a minute later, she nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna go get the keys." She said before walking away and down the hall.

Once Rebecca was out of sight, Lyssa punched Sam in the arm. "What the hell! I'm not a detective!" she whispered angrily. "Calm down. Just follow Dean's lead and you'll be fine." Sam said, rubbing his arm where he'd been punched. Lyssa rolled her eyes and huffed out some air, hoping it would calm her nerves. "Wow, man, you're a real straight shooter with your friends." Dean said. "Look, Zack and Becky need our help." Sam pleaded with his brother.

"I just don't think this is our kind of problem." Dean retorted. "Two places at once? Sounds like you guys." Lyssa said. Dean looked to Lyssa and then back to Sam. "Fine." Dean said, defeated.

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Dean pulled the Impala up to the sidewalk and the four of them got out of the car. "You're sure this is okay?" Rebecca asked Lyssa who got out and walked over to the driver's side. Lyssa glanced at Dean, who nodded, before answering Rebecca. "Yeah. We  _are_  officers of the law." She said with a smile. Rebecca glanced at Sam and motioned for her to follow Dean and Lyssa.

Dean and Lyssa walked into the house and looked around. The furniture and walls of house were smeared with blood. "Bec, you wanna wait outside?" Sam asked, standing on the porch with her. Rebecca shook her head, ducking under the police tape and entering the house. Dean and Lyssa walked around the table and inspected the blood covered items. "Tell us what else the police said." Sam told Rebecca.

"Well, there's no sign of a break-in. They say that Emily let her attacker in. The lawyers-they're already talking about plea bargain." She said, looking around the room with tears flowing. "Oh, God…" she said through a sob.

"Look, Bec, if Zack didn't do this, it means someone else did. Any idea who?" Sam asked. Rebecca shook her head and then a look came across her face that looked like she remembered something. "Um, there was something, about a week before. Somebody broke in here and stole some clothes-Zack's clothes. The police-they don't think it's anything. I mean, we're not that far from downtown. Sometimes people get robbed." She said, wiping a few tears away.

Dean walked over to the door when he heard barking outside and opened it. "You know, that used to be the sweetest dog." Rebecca said, coming up behind him. "What happened?" Lyssa asked, looking out the window at the large dog. "He just changed." Rebecca answered, turning to the other woman. "Do you remember when?" Lyssa asked, Dean giving her an odd look at how easy she was picking everything up, like it was natural. "I guess around the time of the murder."

Dean looked between the two women and then walked away. Lyssa watched as Dean walked away and then turned back to the distraught woman before her. "Are you alright?" she asked. Rebecca nodded and wiped her eyes again. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thank you though. It's just…it's been pretty hard."

Lyssa nodded and gave the other woman a small, reassuring smile. "We'll take care of this. I promise."

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Dean walked into the kitchen to find Sam looking at a picture of himself, Zack, and Rebecca on the fridge. "Where's Lyssa?" Sam asked, noticing his brother's presence. "She's with Rebecca." Dean answered. "And the neighbor's dog went psycho right around the time Zack's girlfriend was killed." He added. "Animals can have a sharp sense of the paranormal." Sam offered. "Yeah, maybe Fido saw something." Dean said.

"So, you think maybe this  _is_  our kind of problem?" Sam asked, smirking. "No. Probably Not. But we should look at the security tape, you know, just to make sure." Dean said, Sam smirking the entire time. "Yeah." Sam said with a small laugh. "So, the tape. The security footage-you think maybe your lawyers could get their hands on it, 'cause we just don't have that kind of jurisdiction." Dean asked when Rebecca and Lyssa walked up to the brothers.

"I've already got it. I didn't wanna say something in front of the cops." She said, causing Dean to chuckle. "I stole if off the lawyer's desk. I just had to see for myself."

"All right." Dean said and all four of them left the house and got back into the Impala.

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Sam, Dean, Lyssa, and Rebecca were all in the living room, watching the security footage. "Here he comes." Rebecca said and a few seconds later the tape showed Zack entering his house. "22:04, that's just after ten. You said time of death was about 10:30." Lyssa said, noticing the timestamp. "Our lawyers hired some kind of video expert. He says the tape's authentic. It wasn't tampered with." Rebecca explained. "Hey, Bec, can we take those beers now?" Sam asked.

"Oh, sure." She said, getting up and heading to the kitchen. "Hey." Sam called before she left the room. "Maybe some sandwiches, too?" he asked. "What do you think this is, Hooters?" she joked before leaving the room. "I wish." Dean said under his breath, getting up from his place on the arm of the sofa and walking over to Sam and earning an eye roll from Lyssa. "What is it?" he asked.

"Check this out." Sam said, rewinding the tape and then replaying it. One of the frames showed Zack looking directly at the camera and his eyes were silver. "Camera flare?" Lyssa asked. "That's not like any camera flare I've ever seen. You know, a lot of cultures believe that a photograph can catch a glimpse of the soul." Sam explained. "Right." Dean said.

"Remember that dog that was freaking out? Maybe he saw something. Maybe this is some kind of dark double of Zack's, something that looks like him but isn't him." Sam said. "Like a Doppelganger." Dean offered. "Yeah. It'd sure explain how he was two places at once." Sam agreed.

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Dean parked the Impala outside Zack's house and all the three passengers got out. "Alright, so what are we doin' here at 5:30 in the morning?" Dean asked, walking around to the front and taking the coffee cup offered to him by Lyssa. "I realized something. The videotape shows the killer going in, but not coming out." Sam explained. "So, he came out the back door?" Lyssa asked, taking the coffee back from Dean and taking a drink.

"Right. So,there should be a trail to follow. A trail the police would never pursue." Sam agreed, walking towards an alleyway. "'Cause they think the killer never left. And they caught your friend Zack inside. I still don't know what we're doin' here at 5:30 in the morning." Dean said, taking the coffee cup back from Lyssa while Sam was looking around the outside of the building. "Blood. Somebody came this way." Sam called to the two still by the car.

"Yeah, but the trail ends. I don't see anything over here." Dean said and a couple of seconds later, an ambulance drove past. Dean glanced at Lyssa and then to Sam before all three followed the ambulance around the corner.

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The three made it around the corner and watched as an Asian man was cuffed and being escorted to a police car. "What happened?" Dean asked the person closest to him. "He tried to kill his wife. Tied her up and beat her." The woman said. "Really?" Sam asked, the two brothers exchanging a look. "I used to see him going to work in the morning. He'd wave, say hello. He seemed like such a nice guy." She said as the police car pulled away with the Asian man inside.

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Later on that day, they headed around to the back of the house and did some investigating. Sam was looking inside two garbage cans when Dean and Lyssa walked up beside him. "Hey. Remember when I said this wasn't out kind of problem?" Dean asked. "Yeah."

"Definitely our kind of problem." Dean said.

"What'd you find out?" Sam asked. "Well, we just talked to the patrolman who was first on the scene, heard this guy, Alex's story. Apparently the dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked." Lyssa explained. "So he was two places at once." Sam simplified. "Exactly. Then he sees himself in the house, police think he's a nutjob." Dean added. "Two dark doubles attacking loved ones in exactly the same way." Sam mused, walking around Dean and Lyssa.

"Could be the same thing doing it, too." Dean added, causing Sam to think for a second. "Shapeshifter?" Sam asked, Dean shrugging. "Something like that can make itself look like anyone." Lyssa said, remembering what she'd read in John journal. "Every culture in the world has a shapeshifter lore. You know, legends of creatures who can transform themselves into animals or other men." Dean explained.

"Right, skinwalkers, werewolves." Sam added.

"We've got two attacks within blocks of each other. I'm guessing we've got a shapeshifter prowling the neighborhood." Dean concluded. "In all this shapeshifter lore, can any of them fly?" Sam asked. "Not that I know of." Dean answered. "Well, I picked up a trail here. Someone ran out the back of this building and headed off this way."

"Just like your friend's house." Lyssa voiced.

"Yeah. And, just like Zack's house, the trail suddenly ends. I mean, whatever it is just disappeared." Sam explained. "Well," Dean said, causing the other two to look at him. "there's another way to go-down."

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"I bet this runs right by Zack's house, too. The shapeshifter could be using the sewer system to get around." Sam said, hoping onto the solid ground of the sewer. "This is disgusting." Lyssa said, taking the hand Dean offered and hopped off the ladder. "I think you're right. Look at this." Dean said, bending down to examine a pile of blood and skin on the ground. "Ugh. What is that?" Lyssa asked as Dean used his pocket knife to examine the skin.

"Is this from his victims?" Sam asked, kneeling down next to Dean. "You know, I just had a sick thought. When the shapeshifter changes shape-maybe it sheds." Dean said, dropping the skin off of his pocket knife. "That is sick." Lyssa commented, standing up.

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"Well, one thing I learned from Dad, is that no matter what kind of shapeshifter it is, there's one sure way to kill it." Dean said, opening the trunk of the Impala and then opening the weapons compartment. He grabbed two guns and started filling them with silver bullets. "Silver bullet to the heart." Lyssa said. "That's right. You've been reading Dad's journal like I advised." Dean acknowledged, grinning up at her as Sam's cell phone started ringing. "This is Sam." He said, answering the call.

"We're near Zack's, we're just checking some things out."

"What are you talking about."

"Why would you do that?"

"Bec-"

"We're trying to help."

"Bec, I'm sorry, but-"

Dean glanced at Lyssa and then walked over to a disappointed looking Sam. "I hate to say it, but that's exactly what I'm talking about. You lie to your friends because if they knew the real you, they'd be freaked. It's just-it'd be easier if-" Dean tried, but was cut off by Sam. "If I was like you."

"Hey, man, like it or not, we are not like other people. But I'll tell you one thing. This whole gig-it ain't without perks." He said, holding up the two guns. Sam took one and put it in the back of his jeans as Dean handed the other to Lyssa. "Hide it the back of your jeans. I'll have to teach you how to use it properly later though." Dean advised as Lyssa took the gun and did the same as Sam. Dean nodded and they started walking back to the manhole.

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"I think we're close to its lair." Dean said, flashing his flashlight on the pipe next to them. "Why do you say that?" Lyssa asked. "Because there's another puke-inducing pile next Sam's face." Dean explained, causing Sam to turn and see another pile of blood and skin on the pipe. "Oh God!" Sam jumped and moved as far away from the pipe as the small corridor would allow. Sam flashed his light further down the corridor and it landed on a pile of clothes in a corner. "Looks like it's lived here for a while." Dean said.

"Who knows how many murders he's gotten away with?" Lyssa said as Sam turned around to see the shapeshifter, still in the form of the Asian man, standing behind Dean. "Dean!" Sam yelled, trying to warn his brother. Both Lyssa and Dean turned around and Dean got punched by the shapeshifter. Dean was knocked into Lyssa, causing both of them to fall to the ground and the shapeshifter ran away. Sam shot at it a few times, but missed.

Dean was in the process of helping himself and Lyssa up when Sam ran over to them. "Get the son of a bitch!" Dean yelled once Lyssa and himself were upright.

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"All right, let's split up." Sam said once all three of them were safely out of the manhole. "All right, we'll all meet up back at the car." Dean instructed. Sam and Lyssa nodded in agreement before they all walked off in different directions.

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Sam stood on the street corner, waiting. "Hey. Anything?" Sam asked as Dean walked up behind him. "No. Nothing. Maybe Lyssa got something." Dean answered. "Alright, let's get back to the car." Sam said, crossing the street. Dean went to follow, but stopped to let a car drive by. As the car passed, Dean's eyes momentarily glowed silver.

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"She's not here. Maybe she got a lead." Sam said, walking up to the Impala. "Or she's still looking for him. You think he found another way underground?" Sam asked as Dean walked up to the trunk. "Yeah, probably. You got the keys?" Dean asked, patting his pockets. Sam stopped for a moment, thinking, before turning around. "Hey, didn't Dad once face a shapeshifter in San Antonio?"

"Oh, that was Austin. It turned out not to be a shapeshifter, it was a thought form. A psychic projection, remember." Dean explained. "Oh, right. Here ya go." Sam said, throwing Dean the keys and walking away. Dean opened the trunk and observed all the weapons, chuckling to himself. "Don't move!"

Dean turned around to see Sam pointing a gun at him. "What have you done with him?" Sam asked. "Dude, chill. It's me, all right?" Dean said, holding his hands up. "No, I don't think so. Where's my brother?" Sam asked again, still aiming. "You're about to shoot him. Sam, calm down." Dean said, trying to convince the other. "You caught those keys with your left. Your shoulder was hurt." Sam explained. "Yeah, it's better. What do you want me to do, cry?" Dean countered. "You're not my brother."

"Why don't you pull the trigger, then? Hm? 'Cause you're not sure. Dude, you know me." Dean tried again. "Don't." Sam said. Dean paused before hitting Sam twice with a crowbar and he fell to the ground unconscious.

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Sam woke up in a dingy, dusty room and his neck and hands were bound to a wooden post behind him. "Dean" walked over to him and backhanded him across the face once he noticed the younger Winchester was awake, causing him to groan. "Where are they? Where're Dean and Lyssa?" Sam asked, his voice slightly raspy. "I wouldn't worry about them. I'd worry about you." The shapeshifter replied, coming back into the room carrying a bag. "Where are they?" Sam asked again. "Lyssa, I have no idea where she is, but Dean, you don't really wanna know." He said with a chuckle.

"I swear, the more I learn about you and your family-I thought I came from a background." He said, going over to a worn table and placing the bag on top of it. "What do you mean, learn?" Sam asked as the shapeshifter pulled a knife from the bag. He stopped for a moment and grabbed his head in pain, grimacing while Sam watched in confusion. After a moment, the shapeshifter relaxed and looked at Sam. "He's sure got issues with you. You got to go to college. He had to say home. I mean,  _I_  had to say home. With Dad. You don't think I had dreams of my own? But Dad needed me. Where the hell were you?" the shapeshifter went on, taking on the role of Dean.

"Where…is my brother?" Sam asked again, the shapeshifter leaning in close to Sam. "I am your brother. See, deep down, I'm just jealous. You got friends. Sure, Lyssa and I've gotten close over the past few days, but still. You could have a life. Me? I know I'm a freak. And sooner or later, everybody's gonna leave me." He went on, backing away from Sam.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, watching as the shapeshifter walked away.

"You left. Hell, I did everything Dad asked me to, and he ditched me, too. No explanation, nothin', just poof. Left me with your sorry ass. But, still, this life? It's not without its perks." The shapeshifter said, laughing. "I meet the nicest people. Like Lyssa and little Becky. You know, Dean would bang both of them if he had the chance. Let's see what happens. Lyssa's supposed to be meeting us back at the car anyway." He said, smiling and coving Sam with a sheet before leaving.

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Lyssa was lying on the back of the car when Dean strolled up. "Where the hell have you been? Where's Sam? I've been waiting here for a good forty minutes!" Lyssa complained, sitting up and looking at the older Winchester. "Sorry. We thought we found something. Sam found a lead and told us to wait for him at the motel." Dean said, walking around to the driver's side.

Lyssa nodded and hopped of the back and went around to the passenger side. "What's Sam's lead?" she asked, sliding into the passenger seat. "Well," Dean started then stopped for a moment, thinking of something. "He was talking to a woman at the liquor store. She said she saw an Asian man run past a couple of minutes before he showed up."

"Shouldn't we go help him?" she asked as Dean slid into the driver's seat. "Nope. Sammy can handle this on his own. I think it'd be better for us to head back to the room and rest up." He answered with a smile, starting the Impala. "Okay." Lyssa said, smiling back.

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Sam struggled against the ropes, but was failing miserably. "Damn it." He said under his breath, but stopped when he heard movement in another area of the room and someone coughing. "That better be you, Sam, and not that freak of nature." came Dean's voice, causing Sam to laugh. "Yeah, it's me." Sam said as Dean managed to uncover himself from the sheet and started to undo his ropes. "He's with Lyssa and then going to Rebecca's, looking like you." Sam explained.

"Well, he's not stupid. He picked the handsome one." Dean joked. Sam gave him a confused look, then continued to work through his ropes.

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"Yeah, that's the thing. He didn't just look like you, he was you. Or he was becoming you." Sam explained as Dean finally worked his way out of the ropes. "What do you mean?" Dean asked, starting to throw the ropes off. "I don't know, it was like he was downloading your thoughts and memories." Sam elaborated, still struggling against the ropes. "You mean, like the Vulcan mind meld?" Dean offered. "Yeah, something like that. I mean, maybe that's why he doesn't just kill us." Sam said as Dean got up and walked over to Sam. "Maybe he needs to keep us alive. Psychic connection." Dean said, untying Sam's ropes. "Hands. Yeah. Come on, we gotta go. He's gotta be with Lyssa already. If not, he's at Rebecca's."

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Sam knocked out an old window and the brothers climbed out. "Come on. We gotta find a phone, call the police." Sam said, while Dean finished making his way out of the small confinement. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You're gonna put an APB out on me." Dean said, Sam shrugging. "Sorry."

"This way." Dean said, running down the street.

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Sam and Dean stood in front of a store window, watching a news report that is being shown on a display of televisions.  _'An anonymous tip led the police to a home in the Central West End, where a S.W.A.T team discovered a local woman bound and gagged. Her attacker, a white male, approximately twenty-four to thirty years of age, was discovered in her home.'_  The reporter announced, a sketch of Dean appearing on screen.

"Man! That's not even a good picture." Dean said as Sam looked around cautiously. "It's good enough. Now we just have to find Lee." Sam said, walking away from the store window. "Man!" Dean said under his breath and followed after his brother.

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Sam and Dean were walking down an alley when Dean stepped into a puddle. "Come on." Sam said, pausing. "They said attempted murder. At least we know-"

"I didn't kill her." Dean finished for him. "We'll check with Rebecca in the morning, see if she's all right." Sam said. "All right, but first we find Lyssa and then I wanna find that handsome devil and kick the holy crap out of him." Dean said angrily. "We have no weapons. No silver bullets." Sam reminded Dean.

"Sam, the guy's walkin' around with my face, okay, it's a little personal, I wanna find him. Not to mention who knows what he's done to Lyssa." Dean explained, stopping to look at his brother. "Okay. Where do we start?" Sam asked. "Well, we could start with the sewers." Dean provided, getting angrier by the moment. "We have no weapons. He stole out guns, we need more." Sam said again, pausing for a moment before he realized something. "The car?"

"I'm betting he drove over to Rebecca's." Dean concluded. "The news said he fled on foot. I bet it's still parked there." Sam added. "The thought of him driving my car." Dean said, upset by the thought. "All right, come on." Sam said and they started walking again. "It's killing me." Dean added. "Let it go." Sam said.

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Sam and Dean walked around the side of the house and saw Dean's car parked. "Oh, there she is! Finally, something went right tonight." Dean said relieved. "Oh, crap." He added when a police car appeared and parked next to the Impala. When they turned around, anther police car was parked a few yards away. "This way, this way." Dean said, moving towards the fence.

"You go. I'll hold 'em off." Sam said.

"What are you talking about? They'll catch you." Dean said, already halfway over the fence. "Look, they can't cold me. Just go, keep out of sight. Meet me back at the motel." Sam pleaded. "Dean, stay out of the sewers alone. I mean it!" he said when Dean said nothing and hopped over the fence. "Yeah, yeah!" Sam heard coming from the fence.

"Don't move! Keep your hands where I can see 'em." A police officer said and Sam raised his hands in the air.

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Sam walked up to the motel door and fished in his pocket for the room key. Once he got the door open, he turned on the light. "Oh God!" Sam exclaimed, rushing into the room when he saw Lyssa tied to a chair and gagged. Once he got the piece of cloth out of her mouth and the ropes off, he had to catch her before she hit the floor. "Lyssa? Can you hear me?" he called, shaking her shoulder lightly.

He didn't get and answer and decided he should probably get her to a hospital. From the looks of it she had a lot of blood loss and she was unconscious. Luckily, the cab he'd used to get to the motel was still outside. "I need to get to the hospital. Quick!" Sam said, getting Lyssa into the backseat and then getting in after her. The cab driver didn't say anything and drove off as fast as he was able to get to the local hospital.

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"I need some help!" Sam called, carrying Lyssa's unconscious form into the emergency room. A nurse rushed up to them with a gurney and Sam laid her on top of it. "What happened?" the nurse asked, checking Lyssa's pulse. "She was in a car accident." Sam lied, watching as they rushed her off. Before the nurse came back, Sam was gone and all he'd left was a note with the nurse at the desk.

_Call me at this number when she wakes up._

Sam rushed back to the cab and had it take him to Rebecca's. He decided he needed to check on her now that Lyssa had been found.

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The next day, Dean stood by the Impala, looking at a map on the hood as Sam and Rebecca came outside. "So, this is what you do? You, your brother, and Lyssa-you hunt down these kinds of things?" Rebecca asked, looking up at the younger Winchester. "Yeah, pretty much." Sam answered. "I can't believe it. I mean, I saw it with my own eyes. And, I mean, does everybody at school-nobody knows that you do this?" she went on. "No." Sam said after taking a breath.

"Did Jessica know?" she asked. Sam was silent, thoughtful for a moment. "No, she didn't." he said sadly. "Must be lonely." Rebecca added.

"Oh, no. No, it's not so bad. Anyway, what can I do? It's my family." Sam explained, looking to his brother. Rebecca laughed and folded her hands in front of her. "Well, you know, Zack and me, and everybody at school-we really miss you." She said, hugging him. "Yeah, me too." He said sadly, pulling away. "Well, will you call sometime?" she asked.

"It might not be for a little while." Sam answered. Rebecca nodded and waved goodbye to Dean. Dean waved back and she went back inside the house while Sam walked over to the car.

"So, what about your friend, Zack?" Dean asked, looking back at the map. "Cops are blaming this Dean Winchester guy for Emily's murder. They found the murder weapon in the guy's lair, Zack's clothes stained with her blood. Now they're thinking maybe the surveillance tape was tampered with. Yeah, Becca says Zack will be released soon." Sam explained, smiling as Dean rolled his eyes and got into the car. "Come on, Sammy. Let's go check on Lee. See how she's doing." Dean said as Sam got into the passenger side.

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Lyssa looked up when the boys entered her hospital room. "Hey guys." She said, her voice a little raspy. "Hey. How're you feeling?" Sam asked, pulling up one of the chairs and sitting next to the bed. "Tired mostly. Other than that, I feel perfectly fine. I think it might have something to do with pain meds they have me on though." She said. Dean chuckled and pulled up another chair, sitting in it as well. "At least they're giving pain meds."

They spent the next hour and a half with Sam and Dean explaining what had happened with the shapeshifter. "Oh God. That's terrible." Lyssa said, rubbing her forehead. "Yeah, well, at least we got the bastard." Dean said with a light laugh. Just then, a nurse came into the room and asked for one of the boys to sign some papers.

Once Sam left the room, Dean was unusually quiet. "I don't blame you, Dean." Lyssa said, reaching over and taking Dean's hand in hers in a comforting manner. When he looked at her, there was guilt written all over his face. When he looked up at her, he felt pain, guilt, and sadness. "Lyssa, I-Ow!" he started, looking down at the floor and then right back up when Lyssa pinched his hand, causing him to look at her.

"Please don't. If you want to make me feel better, don't apologize for something you didn't do." She said, giving his hand a small squeeze. He shook his head and was about to argue that it was his fault because it was his body and probably could have stopped it from happening, but stopped when Lyssa pinched him again. "Ow! Stop it! You're mean when you're drugged up." He said, but didn't pull his hand away from her grasp.

"It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your mind. You never would've done that. I don't blame you because I trust you. I know you wouldn't do that because of how guilty you're feeling despite not being the one that did it. Please don't beat yourself up." She begged, looking him in the eye. Dean gave her a nod and a small smile. Lyssa smiled back and stifled a yawn. "Get some sleep. You need it." Dean told her.

Lyssa nodded and her eyes began to droop as the pain killers started to kick in again. As soon as she fell into a deep enough sleep, not that it took that long, Dean leaned forward and pressed the button that would lower the upper portion of the bed for a better sleeping angle and then leaned back in his chair, taking her hand in his and giving it a light reassuring squeeze.

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The next morning, Lyssa woke up still feeling a little groggy. "Glad to see you're awake again." Came a voice from the doorway. Lyssa looked up to see Sam standing in the doorway. "Hey, Gigantor." She said softly. "Where's Dean?" she asked, noticing the older Winchester wasn't with him. He nodded to the chair next to bed. Looking over, Lyssa saw Dean sleep, in was looked to be an uncomfortable position, in said chair.

"When I came back in last night, you were both knocked out cold." Sam explained. "He was really worried about you, Lee." He added. Lyssa shook her head and sighed, looking back to Sam. "He's not going to let this go, is he?" she asked, glancing back at Dean. Sam sighed and sat down in the chair he'd occupied the night before. "Probably not. He's always done that though. Ever since we were kids."

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It was about half an hour or so till Dean finally woke up. "Morning, twinkletoes." Lyssa said, smirking at him as he groaned and fixed the position he was sitting in. "What time is it?" he asked, groaning again. "Around 10:30. Sam left about ten minutes ago for coffee." She told him.

Dean nodded and slouched a little in his chair. They were silent for a moment before Lyssa broke it. "Thank you." She said. "For what?" Dean asked, confused. Lyssa smiled and sat up a little more. "For staying with me last night. Sam came in this morning and said you fell asleep not too shortly after me." She said.

"Couldn't leave you here alone." He laughed. "God knows what you'd get yourself into." Before Lyssa could retort, Sam came back into the room carrying three cups of coffee. "Glad to see your ass is finally awake." He said, handing each of them a cup before sitting back down in his chair. "Bite me, Sammy." Dean replied, taking a drink out of his cup. Sam rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the woman in the bed. "I talked with the Doctor before I got back and he said you'd be discharged this afternoon if everything checks out." Sam told her.

"Thank God. I don't think I can handle this for much longer." Lyssa said, taking a drink of her coffee.

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They were all finally back in the car, driving down a deserted road while Lyssa was in the backseat sleeping off the last of her pain meds.

"Sorry, man." Dean said to his brother. "About what?" Sam asked. "I really wish things could be different, you know? I wish you could be..Joe College." Dean explained. "No, that's okay. You know, the truth is, even at Stanford, deep down, I never really fit in." Sam said, looking at his brother. "Well, that's 'cause you're a freak." Dean said.

"Yeah, thanks." Sam laughed. "Well, I'm a freak too. Lyssa too. We're right here with yea, all the way." Dean said, causing Sam to laugh again. "Yeah, I know you are." Sam retorted.

"You know, I gotta say-I'm sorry I'm gonna miss it." Dean said, looking back at the road. "Miss what?"

"How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?" Dean asked. Sam chuckled and smiled at his brother, Dean returning it before concentrating back on driving.


	7. Hookman

**Chapter Seven-Hookman**

**Third Person POV**

" _Okay," Lori said, walking out of a dorm room bathroom. "What do you think?" she asked, referring to her outfit._

" _Um," Taylor said, sitting up and the bed she was lying on to get a better look. "Oh God, too Martha Stewart?" Lori said, noticing the hesitation in her roommate's voice. Taylor gestured to give her a minute and got off the bed in a hurry, heading to her dresser. Opening it up, she pulled out a revealing red top. "Here," She said, giving it to the dirty blonde. "Wear this."_

" _Um," Lori started, turning around and holding it up to herself in the mirror. "I don't know if this is really me." She said, turning back to her roommate. "Lori, there's a hot chick buried somewhere in there and-" Taylor started. "Okay!" Lori said, holding her hands up in defense before changing into the red top while Taylor went back to her spot on her bed._

" _So?" Lori asked, turning around once she got the top on. "Damn, girl! He's not gonna know what hit him." Taylor said, smiling at her friend. Lori went back over to the mirror and looked at her reflection. "Okay." She said to herself. "I think he's probably downstairs." She added, turning away from the mirror and grabbing a few things. "I'll see you later."_

" _Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Taylor advised, not looking up from what she was writing. "There's nothing you wouldn't do." Lori said, opening the door and leaving. "That's true." She said to herself, smiling._

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" _I thought we were going to the party." Lori said as Rich's car pulled under and bridge. "Well we can't arrive on time." Rich said, parking the car. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you brought me here on purpose." She said, turning in her seat to face her boyfriend. "What? I'm offended." He said, feigning shock. "Yeah, I'm sure." She said sarcastically, smiling at him._

_Just as they began to kiss, Lori's cell phone started to ring and they reluctantly broke away. Lori looked down at the caller ID to see "Dad Calling"._

" _You wanna get that?" Rich asked. "Definitely not." Lori said, shutting the ringer off. They started kissing again and Rich put his hand under Lori's halter strap, causing Lori to pull away and move his hand. "No." she said. "It's ok." Rich said, trying to convince her but she looked uncomfortable. Rich began kissing Lori's neck and put his hand back under her strap. Lori looked even more uncomfortable and pulled away. "Hey, I mean it." She warned before they both heard a loud screeching noise._

" _What was that?" Lori asked, looking around the vehicle. "I don't know." Rich said and then they heard the same sound again. "What is that?" he asked, opening the car door. "No! Rich, no!" Lori begged as he got out. "No, just wait here." He said, shutting the door. Lori looked around terrified when the screeching noise returned, this time closer. "Rich, let's go!" she begged again right as one of the tires got punctured and the back window cracked causing her to scream._

" _Rich?" she called, looking around, but not seeing Rich anywhere. "Rich!" she called again, rolling up the windows and locking the doors. "Rich where are you?" she suddenly heard scratching and banging on the roof. She screamed again and jumped into the floor and the noise stopped. "Ok, ok." she said to herself, breathing heavily._

_Getting out of the car, she started to run away, but turned around and saw Rich suspended from a tree, upside down, above the car and she screamed._

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Lyssa woke with a start, breathing heavily. She looked around her surroundings and breathed in relief. She was still curled up on one of the beds in the motel room her and the boys had got. Luckily, this room had three twin sized beds in it and no one had to share. Looking over, she saw both the boys sprawled out on their respective beds, exhausted.

Letting her head drop back down onto her bed, she shut her eyes and took a few more deep breaths before sitting up and grabbing her bag from the floor. She pulled out an old, worn out, blue journal and flipped to the next clear page. Once she found it, she began writing down her dream.

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"Alright, thank you for your time." Sam said before hanging up the payphone a little away from the café they were at. He walked back over to the table where Dean and Lyssa were working on the laptop. "Your, uh, half-caf, double vanilla latte is getting cold over here, Francis." Dean said as Sam walked back. "Bite me." Was all Dean got back as Sam sat down.

"So, anything?" Lyssa asked, looking up at the younger Winchester. Sam shook his head. "I had them check the FBI's Missing Persons Data Bank. No John Doe's fitting Dad's description. I even ran his plates for traffic violations." Sam explained. "Sounds like he doesn't wanna be found." Lyssa said, causing Sam to look disappointed.

"Check this out, found it earlier this morning." Dean said, catching the attention of the other two. He turned the laptop so both Sam and Lyssa could see. Lyssa swallowed hard when she saw that the article was about the mysterious death of a fraternity brother and the picture looked too familiar to her. "It's a news item out of Places Courier. Ankeny, Iowa. It's only about a hundred miles from here." Dean said, chewing on him pen.

"The mutilated body was found near the victim's car, parked on 9 Mile Road." Sam read as Lyssa sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. "Keep reading." Dean advised, sending Lyssa a concerned glace. "Authorities are unable to provide a realistic description of the killer. The sole eyewitness, whose name has been withheld, is quoted as saying the attacker was invisible."

"Could be something interesting." Dean added, giving his brother a pointed look. "Or it could be nothing at all. One freaked out witness who didn't see anything? Doesn't mean it's the Invisible Man." Sam said, not so sure. "But what if it is? Dad would check it out." Dean argued, knowing he'd win out.

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"Hey, are you alright?" Sam asked, turning around in his seat to look at Lyssa. Lyssa look up at the younger Winchester and smiled. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because you've been acting a little strange since we left the motel this morning." Sam added, not really buying her attempt to let it drop. "Sammy's right. You look kinda pale too." Dean said, looking at her through the rearview mirror. "Guys, I'm fine. Just…didn't get much sleep last night. I, uh, had a bad dream and couldn't shake it. That's all." She said, not completely lying. The car was completely quiet before Sam nodded and turned back around.

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Dean parked the car near the fraternity where Rich lived. The other frat brothers who were outside looked at the Impala in confusion as the three occupants got out. "One more time, why are we here?" Sam asked in a hushed tone. "Victim lived here." Lyssa answered, looking around at all the college students. Dean led them over to some guys who were fixing a car. "Nice wheels." He said, earning strange looks. "We're your frat brothers and sorority sister. From Ohio. We're new in town. Transfers. Looking for a place to stay." Dean said, grinning.

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The three of them walked into one of the dorm rooms to find a shirtless frat boy in yellow shorts painting his face and body purple. "Who are you?" he asked when Dean knocked on the door. "We're your new roommates." Dean answered with a smile, walking over to the boy. "Her too?" he asked, slightly confused. "No. She's just hanging with us for the day."

"Oh, cool. Hey, do me favor? Get my back. Big game today." The purple boy said, holding the brush and paint can out to Dean. "He's the artist. Things he can do with a brush." Dean said, point to Sam who gave him a mortified look, but took the brush and can. Lyssa followed Dean over to where he sat down in a chair and picked up a magazine. "So," he said, looking for the kid's name on the magazine. "Murph. Is it true?" he asked once Lyssa pointed it out for him. "What?"

"We heard on of the guys around here got killed last week." Lyssa said, sitting on the arm of Dean's chair. "Yeah." he said sadly.

"What happened?" Sam asked, still painting the kid's back. "They say some psycho with a knife. Maybe a drifter passing through. Rich was a goof guy." Murph explained. "Rich was with somebody?" Sam pressed as Dean started absently flipping through the magazine. "Not just somebody. Lori Sorensen." Murph said, causing Lyssa to sit a little straighter.

"Who's Lori Sorensen?" Lyssa asked. "You missed a spot. Just down there, on the back." Dean interrupted, grinning at Sam's annoyed expression. "Lori's a freshman. She's a local. Super hot. And get this: she's a reverends daughter." Murph told Lyssa. "You wouldn't happen to know which church, would you?" Dean asked, closing the magazine.

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"Our hearts go out to the family of a young man who perished. And my personal prayers of thanks go out as well because I believe he died trying to protect my daughter. And now, as time heals all our wounds, we should reflect on what this tragedy means. To us, as a church." Rev. Sorensen preached as Sam, Dean, and Lyssa entered, the door slamming behind them.

The congregation went silent as they all turned to look at them. "As a community, and as a family. The loss of a young person is particularly tragic. A life unlived is the saddest of passings." Rev. Sorensen continued as the three sat down. Lori noticed their presence and looked directly at Sam, who gave her a weak smile. "So, please, let us pray. For peace, for guidance, and for the power to protect our children."

Everyone bowed their head except for Dean. Sam elbowed him and Dean, noticing everyone else, did the same.

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"I can't. It's Sunday night." Lori said, walking out of the church with Taylor. "It's just us girls. We're gonna do tequila shots and watch Reality Bite." Taylor tried. "My dad makes dinner every Sunday night."

"Come on, Lori. I know this had been hard, but you  _are_  allowed to have fun." Taylor said, stopping to look at her friend as a group of children ran by. "I'll try." Lori said defeated, Taylor rolling her eyes. "Ok." She said and hugged Lori before leaving. "Are you Lori?" Sam asked as the three walked up to the dirty blonde. "Yeah." She said, sounding a little nervous.

"My name is Sam. This is my brother, Dean and our friend, Lyssa." Sam introduced, Dean and Lyssa waving. "Hi." Dean smiled slightly. "We just transferred her to the university." Lyssa said, shaking the other woman's hand. "I saw you inside." Lori said, shaking Lyssa's hand. "We don't wanna bother you. We just heard about what happened and…" Sam started. "We wanted to say how sorry we are." Dean finished.

"I kinda know what you're going through. I-I saw someone…get hurt once. It's something you don't forget." Sam said, Lori nodding in understanding when Rev. Sorensen came up to them.

"Dad, um, this is Sam, Dean, and Lyssa. They're new students." Lori told her father. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I must say, that was an inspiring sermon." Dean said, shaking the reverend's hand. "Thank you very much. It's so nice to find young people who are open to the Lord's message." He said, Dean chuckling a little.

"Listen, uh, we're new in town actually." Dean said, grabbing Lyssa's arm and started leading Rev. Sorensen away from Sam and Lori. "And, uh, my girlfriend and I, we were looking for, um, a church group." Dean explained.

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About an hour and a half later, they all met back at the library. Sam told them that the cops think Lori was seeing things. "So you believe her?" Dean asked, walking down the one aisles, the other two following him. "I do." Sam answered.

"Yeah, I think she's hot, too." Dean said, glancing back at his brother with a grin. "No, man, there's something in her eyes. And listen to this: she heard scratching on the roof. Found the body suspended upside down over the car." Sam explained in a hushed tone as Dean turned down one of the aisles. "Wait, the body suspended? That sounds like the-" Lyssa started, looking at Sam. "The Hook Man legend. That's one of the most famous urban legends ever. You don't think that we're dealing with the Hook Man." Dean interjected.

"Every urban legend has a source. A place where it all began." Sam said.

"Yeah, but what about the phantom scratches and the tire punctures and the invisible killer?" Lyssa asked, crossing her arms. "Well, maybe the Hook man isn't a man at all. What if it's some kind of spirit?" Sam offered.

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"Here you go. Arrest records going back to 1851." The librarian said, placing a few big boxes in front of the three at the table. Dean blew some dust off a box and began to cough. "Thanks." He said, smiling at the woman. "Ok." She said, walking away. "So, this is how you spent four good years of your life, huh?" Dean asked the other two. "Eight for me." Lyssa said, opening one of the boxes. "Welcome to higher education." Sam said, grinning when Dean gave Lyssa a funny look.

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A couple of hours later, Dean was rubbing his eyes from exhaustion. "Hey, check this out. 1862. A preacher named Jacob Karns was arrested for murder. Looks like he was so angry over the red light district in town that one night he killed 13 prostitutes. Uh, right here, "some of the deceased were found in their bed, sheets soaked with blood. Others suspended upside down from the limbs of trees as a warning against sins of the flesh." Lyssa explained, handing both the brothers a couple of pieces of paper. One showed a drawing of a man with a hook as a hand.

"Get this, the murder weapon? Looks like the preacher lost his hand in an accident. Had it replaced with a silver hook." Dean said, looking at one page as Sam pointed to the other page. "Look where all this happened."

"9 mile road." Dean said, looking at the page. "Same place where the frat boy was killed." Lyssa added. "Nice job, Dr. Venkmen. Let's check it out." Dean said, patting Lyssa on the shoulder. Sam laughed when Lyssa gave him a dirty look before gathering all the research and left.

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Dean drove the Impala up 9 Mile Road, parking the Impala and all three got out. Dean went around back to the trunk, opening it and handing Sam and Lyssa a rifle. "Here you go."

"If it is a spirit, buckshots won't do much good." Sam said, aiming the gun. "Yeah, rock salt." Dean said, handing some rock salt shots to Sam. "Huh. Salt being a spirit deterrent." Lyssa said, taking the ones that were handed to her. "Yeah. It won't kill 'em. But it'll slow 'em down." Dean said, grabbing a coil of rope and shutting the trunk. "That's pretty good. You and Dad think of this?" Sam asked as they walked towards the trees.

"I told you. You don't have to be a college graduate to be a genius." Dean said, causing both Sam and Lyssa to roll their eyes. They all stopped dead in their tracks when they heard noise among the trees, Sam and Lyssa raising their guns. "Over there." Dean whispered, pointing to the trees. Sam aimed and cocked his gun when a figure came out from behind the trees and it was just their luck that it was the sheriff.

"Put the guns down now! Now! Put your hands behind your head." He yelled, pointing his pistol at the three. "W-w-wait, okay, okay!" Dean said, dropping the coil of rope. "Now get down on your knees. Come on, do it! On your knees!" the sheriff yelled, still pointing his pistol as all three got down on their knees. "Now get down on your bellies. Come on, do it!" he added. Dean scoffed something under his breath, but complied anyway.

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"Saved your asses! Talked the sheriff down to a fine. I am Matlock." Dean said, walking out of the police station, the other two following. "But how?" Lyssa asked. "Told him Sam was a dumbass pledge and that we were hazing him." Dean explained, grinning the entire time. "What about the shotgun?" Sam added.

"I said you were hunting ghosts and the spirits were repelled by rock salt. You know, typical Hell Week prank." Dean said, clearly amused by what he'd done. "And he believed you?" Lyssa asked, not convinced. "Well, he looks like a dumbass pledge." Dean said, gesturing to Sam. "And I'm highly offended that you don't trust my bartering skills." He added when several sheriffs ran out of the building and sped away in police cars.

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"Why would the Hook Man come here? This is a long way from 9 Mile Road." Sam said, getting out of the car once Dean had parked the Impala a few streets away from the sorority. "Maybe he's not haunting the scene of his crime. Maybe it's something else." Lyssa offered, walking next to the boys. Dean pulled Lyssa next to the wall as two sorority girls came out the side entrance of the building and the three his next to some bushes to hide themselves.

"Sorority girls! Think we'll see a naked pillow fight?" Dean asked, turning around to look at Lyssa before helping Sam climb up the balcony of the house. "If we're lucky…no." Lyssa responded, as Dean helped her up as well. "Spoil sport." Dean muttered before climbing up himself. Once they were up, they sneaked into Lori's window with Lyssa first and then Sam following her. "Oh, sorry!" Dean apologized after falling on Sam when he came through the window.

"Be quiet." Sam warned. "You be quiet!" Dean retorted. "Both of you shut it!" Lyssa warned, glaring at the boys before they both mouthed a sorry and then glared at each other. Lyssa rolled her eyes and opened the door of Lori's walk-in closet and saw another sheriff leaving the bedroom. Once the sheriff was gone and down the stairs, Lyssa opened the closet door all the way. "'Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?' That's right out of the legend." Sam said, reading the bloodstained wall.

"Yeah, that's classic Hook Man all right." Dean said, tapping his nose. "It's definitely a spirit."

"Yeah, I've never smelled ozone with strong before." Sam said as Dean went and glanced out the window. "Hey, come here?" Sam called, catching the attention of the other two. He pointed to the cross symbol beneath the writing. "Does that familiar to either of you?"

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"It's the same symbol." Lyssa said as they looked at a picture of the cross symbol they found during their research. "Seems like it is the spirit of Jacob Karns." Sam said as Lyssa handed the paper back to him. "All right, let's find the dude's grave, salt and burn the bones, and put him down." Dean said, leaning on the hood of the Impala.

"'After execution, Jacob Karns was laid to rest in an Old North Cemetery. In an unmarked grave.'" Sam read causing both boys to look annoyed. "Super." Dean said, not sounding excited at all as he pushed off the hood of the car and headed for the driver's seat. "At least we know it's Jacob Karns. Bad thing is, we don't know where he'll manifest next. Or why?" Lyssa said, sliding into the backseat.

"I'll take a wild guess about why. I think Sammy's little friend, Lori, has something to do with this." Dean said, pulling a ticket off the windshield and opening the door and getting in.

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"Man, you guys have been holding out on me. This college thing is awesome!" Dean said once he'd found Sam and Lyssa in the crowd of people at the college party they'd found, smiling and winking at a girl that passed by. "This really wasn't my experience." Sam said. "Mine either." Lyssa said, looking around uncomfortably.

"Let me guess. Libraries, studying, straight A's?" Dean said, both Sam and Lyssa nodding. "What geeks. Alright, you two do your homework?" Dean asked. "Yeah. It was bugging me, right? So how is the Hook Man tied up with Lori? So I think we came up with something." Sam said as Lyssa unraveled a piece of paper.

"1932. Clergyman arrested for murder. 1967. Seminarian held in hippie rampage." Dean said, reading the paper and walking through the crowds of people. "There's a pattern. In both cases, the suspect was a man of religion who openly preached against immorality. And then found himself wanted for killings he claimed were the work of an invisible force. Killings carried out with a sharp instrument." Lyssa explained when they stopped outside.

"What's the connection to Lori?" Dean asked, confused.

"A man of religion? Who openly preaches against immorality?" Sam offered and Dean suddenly understood. "Except this time, instead of saving the whole town, he's just trying to save his only daughter." Sam added. "Reverend Sorensen. You think he's summoning the spirit?" Dean asked. "Maybe. Or you know how a poltergeist can haunt a person instead of a place?" Seam asked.

"Yeah, the spirit latches onto the reverend's repressed emotions, feeds off them, yeah, okay." Dean said, thinking the idea over and then agreeing with it. "Without the reverend ever even knowing it." Lyssa added. "Either way, you should keep an eye on Lori tonight." Dean said and Sam nodded. "What about you two?"

"We'll go see if we can find that unmarked grave." Dean said, throwing his arm around Lyssa's shoulder and walking away.

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"This is hopeless. There's hundreds of headstones here." Dean complained as he and Lyssa walked around the old cemetery. "Uh, Dean?" Lyssa called from a couple of rows over, shining her light on one of the headstones. Dean walked over and stopped to see the cross symbol engraved into the stone. "Here we go." He said, flashing Lyssa a grin.

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"You know, if you'd brought another shovel, I could've helped." Lyssa said, watching as Dean dug at the unmarked grave. Dean flashed her a warning look and Lyssa put her hands up in defense. "That's it. Next time, I get to watch the cute girl's house and you and Sam can dig up bones." Dean complained, breaking the wooded floor of the grave and revealing Jacob Karns' remains. "Hello, preacher." He added, handing the shovel to Lyssa.

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Dean took a few items out of his bag and handed them to Lyssa before going back over to the grave. He started grabbing the items one by one, pouring salt and lighter fluid on the preachers' bones and then lit a match. "Goodbye, preacher." He said, throwing the match into the grave and watched as the bones burnt into flames.

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"No, it's alright, we're with him. He's my brother." Dean said as he and Lyssa were bring refused access to into the hall Sam was on. "Hey! Brother!" Dean called, causing Lyssa to shake her head and Sam and the sheriff to turn and see the other two. Dean smiled and waved.

"Let them through." The sheriff said and the other two sheriffs let Dean and Lyssa by. "Thanks." Lyssa said to the sheriffs before following after Dean. "You okay?" Dean asked when Sam reached him. "Yeah."

"What happened?" Lyssa asked, glancing at the sheriff as they began to walk away from the Reverends' room. "Hook Man." Was all Sam said. "You saw him?" Dean asked, both curious and astounded. "Damn right. Why didn't you torch the bones?" Sam asked, a little angry. "What are you talking about, we did. You sure it's the spirit of Jacob Karns?" Dean asked.

"It sure as hell looked like him. And that's not all. I don't think the spirit is latching on to the reverend." Sam explained, glancing behind Dean's shoulder a couple of times. "Well, yeah, the guy wouldn't send the Hook Man after himself." Lyssa said. "I think it's latching onto Lori. Last night she found out her father is having an affair with a married woman." Sam added.

"So what?" Dean asked.

"So she's upset about it. She's upset about the immorality of it. She told me she was raised to believe that if you do something wrong, you get punished." Sam said. "So she's conflicted. And the spirit of Preacher Karns is latching on to her repressed emotions and maybe he's doing the punishing for her?" Lyssa offered, thinking about the possibilities.

"Right. Rich comes on too strong, Taylor tries to make her into a party girl, Dad has an affair." Sam confirmed. "Remind me not to piss this girl off. But we burned those bones, I buried them in salt, why didn't that stop him." Dean whispered as a doctor walked past the small group. "You must have missed something."

"No. I burned everything in that coffin." Dean said, turning to look out the window. "Did you get the hook?" Sam asked after a moment of thought. "The hook?" Lyssa asked, confused. "Well, it was the murder weapon, and in a way, it was part of him." Sam explained. "So, like the bones, the hook is a source of power." Dean concluded. "So if we find the hook…" Lyssa started. "We stop the Hook Man." Sam and Dean said at the same time, grinning at each other.

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Once again, all three were back in the library doing more research.

"Here's something, I think. Log book, Iowa State Penitentiary. Karns, Jacob. Personal affects: disposition thereof." Dean announced, reading off the page. "Does it mention the hook?" Lyssa asked, looking over Dean's shoulder at the page he'd found. "Yeah, maybe. Upon execution, all earthly items shall be remanded to the prisoner's house of worship, St. Barnabas Church." Dean read. "Isn't that where Lori's father preaches?" Sam asked, looking at his brother. "Yeah."

"Where Lori lives?" he added. "Maybe that's why the Hook Man has been haunting reverends and reverends' daughters for the past 200 years." Lyssa said, pushing Dean's hand out of the way so she could read more on the page. "Yeah, but if the hook were at the church or Lori's house, don't you think someone might've seen it? I mean, a bloodstained, silver-handled hook?" Sam asked. "Check the church records." Dean told him.

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A couple hours later, Sam found the book they needed. "St. Barnabas donations, 1862. Received silver-handled hook from state penitentiary. Reforged." Sam read and then sighed. "They melted it down. Made it into something else."

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Later that night, Dean pulled the Impala up to the empty church. "Alright, we can't take any chances. Anything silver goes in the fire." Dean said, walking up to the church. "I agree. So, Lori's still at the hospital. We'll have to break in." Sam said. "Alright, take your pick." Dean said. "I'll take the house."

"Ok." Dean said with a small grin. "Hey, stay out of her underwear drawer." Dean called, causing Sam to turn around and glare at his brother before walking away. "Ow!" Dean said when Lyssa smacked him upside the head. "Be nice!" she warned.

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In the basement of the church, Lyssa was throwing salt into the fire while Dean was throwing everything silver he could find into it when Sam came down the stairs with a bag of things from Lori's house. "I got everything that even looked silver." He said, making his way down the stairs.

"Better safe than sorry." Dean said, taking the bag from him and started throwing everything into the fire, but stopped when they all heard footsteps upstairs. "Move, move!" Dean whispered, taking his gun and going upstairs with Sam. "Stay here and keep burning the silver." He added to Lyssa.

A couple of seconds later, Dean came back down the stairs. "False alarm. Just Lori."

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Dean jumped when he heard crashing upstairs. "Damn it! Stay here!" Dean yelled, grabbing his gun and running back upstairs.

"Sam drop!" she heard Dean yell and then heard shots firing. She was tempted to go up there and help, but knew Dean left her down there for a reason.

Minutes later, Dean was rushing back down the stairs and threw a necklace to Lyssa. "Throw it in!" he yelled. Lyssa did what she was told and threw the necklace into the fire and they both watched as it began to melt in the flames. Once it was completely melted, they both ran upstairs to find Sam helping Lori up off the floor.

"Quit being such a whine ass." Lyssa said later that night as she stitched up the cut on Sam's arm. "You're lucky I was in med school." She added when he winced again.

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"And you saw him, too? The man with the hook?" the sheriff asked Dean as they all stood outside the church the next morning. "Yes, I told you, we all saw him. We fought him off and then he ran." Dean explained. "And that's all?" the sheriff asked, not really buying Dean's story. "Yeah, that's all."

"Listen, You, your brother, and your girlfriend-" he started. "Oh, don't worry, we're leaving town." Dean cut him off and then walked to his car where Lyssa was waiting.

"We could stay." Dean said when Sam came over to the car after talking with Lori, but Sam just shook his head. Dean looked at Lori and saw she looked sad. He gave Lyssa a sad look before shaking his head in disappointment and getting in the car.

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Later that night, Lyssa sat on one of the two beds in the motel they'd gotten and got lost in her thoughts. She jumped when someone bumped her in the shoulder. Looking up she saw Dean. "You're bunking with me tonight." He said, giving her a little grin. Lyssa just rolled her eyes and moved over to give him a spot to sit.

After a few moments, she turned to Dean. "Can I tell you something?" she asked.

"Of course." Dean said, leaning back on one of the pillows. She bit her lip in thought for a moment before getting up and going to her bag. Dean watched in confusion while she dug through it, looking for something. When she finally found it she came back and sat on the bed. "I guess showing you would be easier than telling you." She said, handing Dean an old, worn out, hard-covered, blue journal. Dean gave her a questioning look, but took it anyway.

He sat there in silence for a moment and skimmed through the pages, begging to end. "What is this?" he asked angrily, snapping the book shut and looking at the woman sitting next to him. "It's my journal. I've had is since I was four. It was a birthday gift. I never wrote anything in it until I was fourteen. That's when I had my first dream." Lyssa explained, brushing some hair behind her ear when it fell in front of her face. Dean looked at her for a moment before opening the journal again and looking at the first page.

"Lyssa, this is the description of what happened before my very first hunt I ever went on with my dad. And the rest of them, they're all like that." He said and flipped to the page a couple before the last. "This was the hunt Sam and I went on before we came to Boston. And this one, this is the hunt we just did! What is this?" he asked, shutting the book again. "Like I said, it was a gift. The pages don't seem to run out and I don't know why, but every time I have one of these dreams, I write it down in this journal. I don't know why. I just do." She said, taking the journal from the older Winchester.

"So, you're, what, psychic?" he asked.

"I don't know. Maybe." She said, running her thumb across the cover. "We have to tell Sam about this." Dean said after a moment of silence. Lyssa nodded but she wasn't sure she wanted Sam to know. She didn't even want Dean to know, but it seemed like a bad idea to keep it from him.

When Sam came back to the room, they both told him. "That's odd. Could be useful though. I mean, if you're having these dreams, you're having them for a reason. We also wouldn't have to search through newspapers and online for gigs anymore." Sam said, accepting the situation immediately. Lyssa smiled at him and relaxed a little. "Thanks." She said, feeling relieved that they didn't think she was some kind of freak.


	8. Bugs

**Chapter Eight-Bugs**

**Third Person POV**

" _Man, these are some phat houses, huh? I'd like to live here." Travis said, shoveling dirt. "Yeah, too bad you can't afford it." Dustin said, spraying bugs on the ground with bug repellent. "Yeah, you're right. This neighborhood'll be damn expensive when it's done." Travis said, going back to his digging. "No, this place is perfect." Travis said, stopping his digging again and smacking the side of his neck. "Except for the mosquitoes." He added and then heard Dustin screaming for help._

_Travis turned around and saw that Dustin had fallen into a hole in the ground. "Dustin?" he called, rushing over to the hole. "Help me, I'm trapped! I broke my ankle!" Dustin called up. "All right, I'll get a rope!" Travis yelled before rushing to the nearest truck and opened it. "Travis, help!" Dustin called. "Hang on!" Travis yelled back, grabbing rope from the truck. "Travis, help!" Dustin called again more frantically and started to scream._

" _It's okay, Dustin! It's okay!" Travis yelled, running back to the hole with the supplies. "Dustin? Dustin, I'm here." He called, looking into the hole with a flashlight. "Oh, God." He said horrified as his flashlight landed on Dustin's dead body, his ears, nose, and eyes bleeding heavily._

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It had been about a week before Lyssa had her next dream. She jolted awake and ended up hitting Sam in the face in the process. "Ow! What the hell?" Sam said, waking up almost as abruptly as Lyssa had. "Sorry!" Lyssa said, getting out of the bed she was sharing with Sam and grabbed her journal before writing down her dream before she forgot it.

"What's all the racket?" Dean called from his bed, his voice muffled from the pillow because he didn't bothering to move. "I think she had another dream. And she hit me in the face." Sam said, rubbing his nose. "I said sorry!" Lyssa called from the table where she was writing away. "Go back to sleep. Both of you. We'll talk about it in the morning." Dean said, still a little grumpy from them only getting to bed about an hour before Lyssa's outburst.

Lyssa finished what she'd seen in her dream and then climbed back into bed, ready for some much needed sleep.

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"Is this the guy?" Sam asked, handing Lyssa the paper he was scanning outside the bar they'd stopped at that night. Lyssa skimmed the page and handed it back with a nod. "Exactly what happened in my dream." She said as Dean came out of the bar, laughing and waving a wad of cash in the air. "You know, we could get day jobs once in a while." Sam said. "Hunting's our day job. And the pay is crap." Dean said, counting how much he'd earned from his swindle.

"Yeah, but hustling pool? Credit card scams? It's not the most honest thing in the world, Dean." Sam said.

"Well, let's see. Honest," Dean said, holding up one hand. "Fun and easy." then the other hand, the 'fun and easy' side outweighing 'honest'. "It's no contest. Besides, we're good at it. It's what we were raised to do."

"How you were raised was jacked then." Lyssa interjected, not looking up from the news paper she'd snatched from Sam while the boys were arguing. "Yeah, says you. So did we find our hole guy?" Dean asked, putting the money into his pants pocket. "Yeah. Oasis Plains, Oklahoma-not far from here. A gas company employee, Dustin Burwash, supposedly died from Creutzfeldt-jakob. Or at least that's what the paper says." Lyssa explained, sliding off the hood of the car.

Dean looked between the two confused. "Huh?"

"Human mad cow disease." Sam clarified, sliding off the hood as well. "Mad cow. Wasn't that on Oprah?" Dean asked, causing Sam and Lyssa to look at him in bewilderment. "You watch Oprah?" Lyssa asked. "So they think this guy ate a bad burger or something?" Dean asked, changing the topic as quickly as possible. Lyssa tried to hide the smile that formed and was failing miserably while Sam let out a cough. "Mad cow disease causes massive brain degeneration. It takes months, even years, for the damage to appear. But Dustin, sounds like his brain disintegrated in about an hour. Maybe less." Lyssa explained.

"Okay. So, not mad cow disease. What happened in your vision thing?" Dean asked, leaning against the hood. "I don't know. All I know is that Dustin fell down the hole and died from an unknown cause at this time." Lyssa said, not sounding happy about how under detailed her dream had been. "It could've been a disease. Or something much nastier." Sam offered.

"Alright. Oklahoma." Dean announced, giving a clap that caused Lyssa to jump a little. Dean chuckled and went over to get in the driver's seat. Lyssa glared at him and followed Sam over to the other side of the car so they could get in as well. "Man. Work, work, work. No time to spend my money." Dean complained, starting the engine.

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All three passengers got out of the Impala and Dean pointed to Travis, looking to Lyssa for confirmation. Lyssa nodded and followed after Dean who began to approach Travis. "Travis Weaver?" Sam asked, not too far behind his brother. "Yeah, that's right." Travis said, moving a little away from the van he was going through. "Are you the Travis who worked with Uncle Dusty?" Dean asked.

"Dustin never mentioned nephews or a niece." Travis said a little skeptically. "Really? Well, he sure mentioned you. He said you were the greatest." Dean lied. "Yeah." Sam and Lyssa said at the same time, going along with Dean. "Oh, he did? Huh." Travis said, buying Dean's fib with a flattered smile.

"Listen, we wanted to ask you...what exactly happened out there?" Lyssa asked. "I'm not sure. He fell in a sinkhole, I went to the truck to get some rope, and, uh...by the time I got back..." Travis tried to explain, having a hard time looking for the right words. "What did you see?" Dean asked. "Nothing. Just Dustin."

"No wounds or anything?" Sam asked, sounding like he wasn't really buying it. "Well, he was bleeding...from his eyes and his ears, his nose. But that's it." Travis offered. "So you think it could be this whole mad cow thing?" Dean asked. "I don't know. That's what the doctors are saying."

"But if it was, he would've acted strange beforehand, like dementia, loss of motor control. You ever notice anything like that?" Sam asked, trying to pry any information he could. "No. No way. But then again, if it wasn't some disease, what the hell was it?" Travis asked, more to himself than the other three. "That's a good question." Lyssa said. "You know, can you tell us where this happened?" Sam asked. "Yeah."

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Dean pulled the Impala up to the scene of Dustin's death, the apparent sinkhole surrounded by police tape. "Huh. What do you think?" Dean asked as the three waked up to the sinkhole. "I don't know. But that Travis guy was right. It happened pretty damn fast." Lyssa answered as they ducked under the police tape. "So, what? Some sort of creature chewed on his brain?" Dean asked, pulling out a flashlight so he could get a better look inside the hole.

"No. There'd be an entry wound." Lyssa answered, kneeling down to look inside the hole. "Sounds like this thing worked from the inside." Sam added.

"Huh. Looks like there's only room for one. You boys wanna flip a coin?" Lyssa asked, straightening out and ducking under the police tape again. "But we have no idea what's down there." Sam protested as he and Dean followed her. "Which is exactly why I'm not going. Plus, there could be spiders down there." she said, giving the hole a grim look after the last part of her statement.

Dean chuckled and picked up and coil of rope that was near by. "Alright. I'll go if you're scared. You scared?" Dean asked Sam, walking back to the sinkhole with the coil of rope. "Flip the damn coin." Sam mumbled. Dean chuckled again and took a coin out of his pocket. "All right, call it in the air...chicken." Dean said, flipping the coin. Sam caught it in mid air. "I'm going."

"I said I'd go." Dean chuckled. "I'm going." Sam repeated. "All right." Dean commented as Sam began to tie the rope around his waist. "Don't drop me." he added, sounding sullen.

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"So, you found some beetles. In a hole, in the ground." Dean commented, glancing at his brother from the driver's seat. "That's shocking, Sam." Lyssa quipped, grinning at the younger Winchester. "Says the girl who wouldn't go down because there might've been spiders." Sam retaliated with a grin. Lyssa only stuck her tongue out at him. "And there were no tunnels, no tracks. No evidence of any other kind of creature down there. You know, some beetles do eat meat. Now, it's usually dead meat, but-" Sam tried to defend his suspicion, only to be cut off by Dean.

"How many did you find down there?"

"Ten." Sam answered, still examining the dead beetle in the palm of his hand. "It'd take a whole lot more than that to eat out some dude's brain." Dean concluded, not buying Sam's suspicion. "Well, maybe there were more." Sam argued. "I don't know. Sounds like a stretch to me." Lyssa said, leaning on the front seat to look at the beetle in Sam's hand.

"Well, we need more information on the area, the neighborhood. Whether something like this has ever happened before." Sam said, as the Impala passed a sign for an open house that was decorated with red balloons. "What?" Sam asked, noticing his brother eyeing the sign. "I know a good place to start." he said. "I'm kinda hungry for a little barbecue, how about you?" Dean added, reading a second sign.

Sam only gave Dean a knowing look. "What, we can't talk to the locals?" Dean defended. "And the free food's got nothing to do with it?" Sam questioned. "Of course not. I'm a professional."

"Right." Sam said, not buying it as Dean parked the Impala at the curb. "Growing up in a place like this would freak me out." Dean said as they began to walk down the street to the open house. "Why?" Lyssa asked, looking up at the older Winchester. "Well, manicured lawns, 'How was your day, honey?' I'd blow my brains out." he said.

"There's nothing wrong with 'normal'." Sam offered. "I'd take our family over normal any day." Dean said, sounding proud. "I have an idea, but I don't think you're gonna like it." Dean told Lyssa as they walked up the driveway. "What?" Lyssa asked skeptically, stopping.

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Dean and Lyssa approached the house and knocked on the door, Sam not too far behind them. The presumed homeowner answered the door with a wide smile on his face. "Welcome." he announced. "This the barbecue?" Dean asked, throwing his arm over Lyssa's shoulder. "Yeah, not the best weather, but...I'm Larry Pike, the developer here. And you are...?" Larry asked. "Dean. This is my wife, Lyssa. And my brother Sam." Dean said, shaking Larry's hand. "Good to meet you all. So, are you two interested in Oasis Plains?" Larry asked Dean and Lyssa, after shaking everyone's hand. "Yes, sir. Seems like a wonderful place to start a family." Dean answered with a cheesy smile.

"Well, that's wonderful. Come on in." Larry said with another smile, ushering them all inside.

Larry led them outside to the back yard where there were lots of people walking around, chatting and eating. "You said you were the developer?" Sam asked.

"Eighteen months ago, I was walking this valley with my survey team. There was nothing but scrub brush and squirrels. And you know what, we build such a nice place to live that I actually bought into it myself. This is our house. We're the first family in Oasis Plains." Larry explained, leading them over to a woman. "This is my wife, Joanie."

"Hi there." she greeted. "Hi." Dean said, shaking her hand. "Dean, Lyssa, and Sam." Larry introduced. "Tell them how much you love the place, honey. And lie if you have to because I need to sell some houses." Larry told his wife with a laugh. "Right." Joanie said, laughing with her husband. "Now, if you'll excuse me." Larry said before leaving the three with Joanie.

"Don't let his salesman routine scare you. This really is a great place to live." Joanie said. "Hi, I'm Lynda Bloome, head of sales." a very energetic woman introduced herself, her black hair pulled back in a tight bun. "And Lynda was second to move in. She's a very noisy neighbor, though." Joanie added before leaving as well.

"She's kidding, of course. I take it you three are interested in becoming homeowners." she said with a laugh. "Well..." Dean said, looking to Lyssa for her to fill in. "Yes, um...well, my husband and I are looking for a place to...start our family." Lyssa said, thinking quickly. "Oh, so you're expecting?" Lynda asked, her smile growing. "Right. Um...I'm gonna go talk to Larry." Dean said awkwardly before turning to Lyssa. "Okay, honey?" he asked before giving her a light smack on the ass and a wink, grabbing Sam's arm and dragging him away with him.

Lyssa and Lynda shared an awkward silence while the boys headed back inside to find the homeowner.

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Inside the house, Larry, Dean, and Sam came down the stairs after finishing a tour. "You've got three choices-carpet, hardwood, and tile." Larry explained. "Whoa. Someone likes bugs." Dean said, stopping at the bottom of the stairs when he noticed a jar full of bugs on a nearby table. "My son-he's into insects. He's very...inquisitive." Larry explained, his voice scornful.

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"Who can say 'no' to a steam shower? I use mine everyday." Lynda explained, still talking with Lyssa. "Sounds great." Lyssa said, not really paying attention. While Lynda continued talking, Lyssa noticed a tarantula crawling towards Lynda's hand, which was resting on the table. Looking up, she could see a young boy watching excitedly. "Excuse me." Lyssa said, pushing past Lynda and, with a sigh and much distaste, picked up the spider, and took it over to the boy. "Is this yours?"

"Are you gonna tell my dad?" he asked, taking the spider from Lyssa's hand. "I don't know. Who's your dad?" she asked, grateful to not be touching the disgusting creature anymore. "Yeah, Larry usually skips me in the family introductions." he scoffed. "Ouch. First name basis with the old man-sounds pretty grim." Lyssa said, watching as the kid practically cradled the spider. "Well, I'm not exactly brochure material."

"Well, hand in there. It gets better, all right? I promise. Soon you'll be off to college and not under your parents watchful and sometimes disapproving eye." she said, giving him a small smile. "Matthew." Larry called, causing Lyssa to turn and see Larry, Dean, and Sam walking towards them. "I am so sorry about my son and his...pet."

"No problem. I...love...spiders." Lyssa said with a smile, forcing the last part out.

"Excuse us." Larry said, leading Matt away from the three. "Remind you of somebody?" Sam asked Dean who looked over at Larry who was yelling at Matt. Dean looked back at Sam confused. "Dad?" Sam offered. "Dad never treated us like that." Dean defended. "Well, Dad never treated you like that. You were perfect. He was all over my case." Sam said. Dead kind of shook his head, not remembering. "You don't remember?"

"Well, maybe he had to raise his voice, but sometimes, you were out of line." Dean continued to defend. "Right. Right, like when I said I'd rather play soccer than learn bowhunting." Sam scoffed. "Bowhunting's an important skill." Dean argued.

"That's enough boys." Lyssa interjected, not wanting to listen to them argue. "How was your tour?" she asked, changing the subject. "It was excellent. I'm ready to buy." Dean said, causing Sam to laugh. "And Sam was onto something. Dustin Burwash wasn't the first strange death around here."

"What happened?" Lyssa asked, curious. "About a year ago, before they broke ground, one of Larry's surveyors dropped dead while on the job. Get this severe allergic reaction to be stings." Sam explained. "More bugs." Lyssa said with a frown. "More bugs." Dean confirmed with a smile.

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"You know, I've heard of killer bees, but killer beetles? What is it that could make different bugs attack?" Dean asked, looking through John's journal while Sam drove. "Well, hauntings sometimes include bug manifestations." Sam offered, glancing at his brother. "Yeah, but there weren't any signs of ghost activity." Lyssa countered from the back seat. "Us neither." Sam said.

"Maybe they're being controlled somehow. You know, by something or someone." Dean offered. "You mean, like Willard?" Sam asked, looking over at his brother. "Yeah, bugs instead of rats." Dean said, flipping through pages of the journal. "There are cases of psychic connections between people and animals-elementals, telepaths." Lyssa said, looking over Dean's shoulder.

"Yeah, that whole Timmy-Lassie thing." Dean said, then realized something. "Larry's kid-he's got bugs for pets."

"Matt?" Lyssa asked.

"Yeah."

"He did try to scare the realtor with a tarantula." Lyssa said, sitting back in her seat. "You think he's our Willard?" Dean asked Sam. "I don't know. Anything's possible, I guess." Sam answered. "Ooh, hey. Pull over here." Dean said, motioning to one of the houses. Sam pulled the Impala into the driveway and Dean got out. "What are we doing here?" Lyssa asked. "It's too late to talk to anybody else." he answered, heading towards the garage. "We're gonna squat in an empty house?" Sam asked, sticking his head out.

"I wanna try the steam shower. Come on." Dean said, lifting the garage door. "Come on!" he said again when Sam didn't move. Sam reluctantly pulled the Impala into the garage and Dean closed it.

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Sam knocked on the bathroom door where he could hear the shower running. "You ever coming out of there?" he asked, his voice raised enough to be heard over the running water. "What?" Dean called from the other side of the door. "Dean, a police call came in on the scanner." Sam said. "Hold on." Dean called. "Someone was found dead three blocks from here. Come on." Sam said, getting agitated.

Dean opened the bathroom door and stream began to rush out of the bathroom. "This shower is awesome." he said with a towel wrapped around his head. Sam rolled his eyes and walked away. "Hurry up!" he called from down the hall.

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Sam pulled the Impala up to the curb and they all got out. They approached Larry who was finishing talking to someone on the phone. "Hello. You're, uh, back early." he said, putting his phone back in his pocket. "Yeah, we just drove in, wanted to take another look at the neighborhood." Dean said. "What's going on?" Lyssa asked, referring to the scene they walked up to.

"You met, uh...Lynda Bloome at the barbecue?" Larry asked. "The realtor." Sam said. "Well, she, uh...passed away last night." Larry explained, shocking the three. "What happened?" Dean asked. "I'm still trying to find out. Identified the body for the police. Look, I-I'm sorry, this isn't a good time now." Larry explained, noticing a few police officers on the front porch waiting for him.

"It's okay." Sam assured. "Excuse me." Larry said before heading over to the officers. "You know what we have to do, right?" Dean asked, once Larry was out of ear shot. "Yeah. Get in that house." Sam said, not sounding too happy. "See if there's a bug problem." Lyssa confirmed. A few minutes later, they climbed over the fence, up the side of the house, and through Lynda's bedroom window.

"This looks like the place." Dean said, walking into the bathroom. He picked up a towel, but dropped it when he saw it was covered in dead spiders. "Spiders. From Spider Boy?" Dean asked, looking up at Lyssa. "Matt." Sam corrected. "Maybe." Lyssa answered.

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Dean pulled up to the curb and parked the Impala where Matt was getting off the school bus across the street. "Isn't his house that way?" Dean asked when Matt began walking in the opposite direction. "Yup." Sam said, watching the kid. "So where's he going?" Dean asked, opening his door to get out. Sam and Lyssa followed and they began following Matt. They followed him into the woods where he was examining a grasshopper.

"Hey, Matt. Remember me?" Lyssa asked, walking up to the boy who had the grasshopper crawling up his arm. "What're you doing here?" he asked, looking behind her at Sam and Dean. "Well, we wanna talk to you." Dean said, moving to stand right behind Lyssa. "You're not here to buy a house, are you?" Matt asked, causing Dean to shake his head. "W-wait. You're not serial killers, are you?" he asked, backing away a little while Sam and Dean chuckled.

"No, no. No, I think you're safe." Sam said.

"So, Matt...you sure know a lot about insects." Dean started. "So." Matt countered, causing Lyssa to chuckle. "Did you hear what happened to Lynda, the realtor?" Dean asked after throwing a glare towards Lyssa. "I hear she died this morning." Matt offered, still skeptical about trusting them. "Mm, that's right. Spider bites." Dean explained.

"Matt..you tried to scare her with a spider." Lyssa said. "Wait. You think I had something to do with that?" Matt asked. "You tell us." Dean countered. "That tarantula was a joke. Anyway, that wouldn't explain the bee attack or the gas company guy." Matt explained. "You know about those?" Sam asked. "There's something going on here. I don't know what...but something's happening with the insects. Let me show you." Matt said, throwing his backpack over his shoulder and motioning for them to follow him.

"So, if you knew about all this bug stuff, why not tell your dad? Maybe he could clear everybody out." Lyssa said, following Matt deeper into the woods. "Believe me, I've tried. But, uh, Larry doesn't listen to me." Matt explained. "Why not?" Lyssa asked.

"Mostly? He's too disappointed in his freak son." Matt answered. "I'm sorry." Lyssa said. "Matt, how old are you?" Sam asked from behind them. "Sixteen." he answered. "Well, don't sweat it, because in two years, something great's gonna happen." Sam told him, giving him a smile. "What?" Matt asked, looking up at the younger Winchester.

"College. You'll be able to get out of that house and away from your dad." Sam said. "That's what I told him." Lyssa said.

"What kind of advice is that? Kid should stick with his family." Dean spoke up. Sam sighed and shot a glare at his brother. "How much further, Matt?" Lyssa asked, sensing the tension rising between the brothers. "We're close." he answered, seeming to understand why Lyssa was asking. Sam glared at Dean one more time before following after Lyssa and Matt. A few moments later, they reach a large clearing where the sounds of hundreds of different insects can be heard among the trees.

"I've been keeping track of insect populations. It's, um, part of an AP science class." Matt explained. "You three are like peas in a pod." Dean commented, earning another glare from Sam. "What's been happening?" Lyssa asked, opting to ignore Dean's comment. "A lot. I mean, from bees to earthworms, beetles...you name it. It's like they're congregating here." Matt said.

"Why?" Dean asked, looking at Matt. "I don't know." Matt answered, looking around the clearing in awe.

"What's that?" Lyssa asked, pointing to a dark patch of grass a few feet away. Sam and Dean walked over to it, Lyssa and Matt behind them, and discover hundreds of worms. Dean stepped on some of them and they fell into the ground, creating a hole. Crouching down, he used a stick to poke around in the hole. "There's something down there." he said, feeling something with the stick.

Putting the stick down, he put his hand in the hole. A disgusted expression came across his face as he felt something inside the hole. Bringing his hand up, the four of them look in horror as Dean pulled up a human skull, covered in dirt and worms.

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"So, a bunch of skeletons in an unmarked grave." Lyssa commented as Sam draped his coat over the box of skulls when they pulled up to the Department of Anthropology. "Yeah. Maybe this is a haunting. Pissed off spirits? Some unfinished business?" Dean commented, leading the way inside. "Yeah, maybe. Question is, why bugs? And why now?" Sam said, bringing up a valid point. "That's two questions." Dean commented.

"Yeah, so with that kid back there...why'd you two tell him to just ditch his family?" Dean asked when Sam ignored his comment. "It's not ditching your family, Dean. It's just getting away for a while. After eighteen years of them breathing down your neck, it's nice to get away." Lyssa explained. "How about telling him to respect his old man, how's that for advice?" Dean asked, looking down at Lyssa.

"Dean, if there's one rule I always live by, it's-it doesn't matter how old you are. If you don't respect me, I'm not going to respect you. It's never failed me before. And from what I saw, there was no respect on either side." Lyssa countered, stopping to look up at Dean. "Never mind. Sorry I brought it up." he said, refusing to look her in the eye. "Come on, we're gonna be late for our appointment." he added before walking ahead.

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"So, you three are students?" the professor asked, carrying the box to his desk. "Yeah. Yeah, uh, we're in your class-Anthro 101?" Sam lied. "Oh, yeah." the professor said, looking between the three. "So, what about these bones, Professor?" Lyssa asked, changing the subject. "This is quite an interesting find you've made. I'd say they're 170 years old, give or take. The time frame and the geography heavily suggest Native American." the professor observed.

"Were there any reservations on that land?" Sam asked.

"Not according to the historical record. But, uh, relocation of native peoples was quite common at that time." the professor offered. "Well, are there any local legends? Oral histories about the area?" Lyssa asked. "Well...you know, there's a Euchee tribe in Sapulpa. It's about sixty miles from here. Someone there might know the truth." the professor told them. "All right." Dean said with a nod.

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Dean, Sam, and Lyssa walked into the diner and found a Native American man playing cards at one of the tables. "Joe White Tree?" Sam asked. The man looked up briefly and nodded. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's all right." Lyssa added. "We're students from the university." Dean explained. "No you're not. You're lying." Joe said, not looking up from his cards. Dean got a shocked expression on his face and looked to Lyssa who shrugged. "Well, truth is-" he tried again, only to be cut off.

"You know who starts sentences with 'truth is'? Liars." Joe said, still not looking up from his cards. Lyssa muffled a laugh and coughed a little. "Have you heard of Oasis Plains? It's a housing development near Atoka Valley." Lyssa asked while Sam and Dean exchanged a look. "I like her. She's not a liar." Joe said to Dean before turning to Lyssa. Dean was about to retort, but stopped when Sam gave his arm a punch.

"I know the area." Joe said to Lyssa. "What can you tell us about the history there?" Lyssa asked after shooting Dean a triumphant grin. "Why do you wanna know?" Joe asked.

"Something...something bad is happening in Oasis Plains. We think it might have something to do with some old bones we found down there-Native American bones." Lyssa explained, hoping he wouldn't think she was insane.

"I'll tell you what my grandfather told me, what his grandfather told him. Two hundred years ago, a band of my ancestors lived in that valley. One day, the American cavalry came to relocate them. They were resistant, the cavalry impatient. As my grandfather put it, on the night the moon and the sun share the sky as equals, the cavalry first raided our village. They murdered, raped. The next day, the cavalry came again, and the next, and the next. And on the sixth night, the cavalry came one last time.

"And by the time the sun rose, every man, woman, and child still in the village was dead. They say on the sixth night, as the chief of the village lay dying, he whispered to the heavens that no one would ever tarnish this land again. Nature would rise up and protect the valley. And it would bring as many days of misery and death to the white man as the cavalry had brought upon his people." Joe told the three.

"Insects. Sounds like nature to me. Six days." Dean said. "And on the night of the sixth day, none would survive." Joe added.

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"When did the gas company man die?" Sam asked as the three left the diner, heading towards the Impala. "Uh, let's see, we got here Tuesday, so, Friday the twentieth." Dean answered, stopping once they made it to the Impala. "March twentieth?" Sam asked and Dean nodded. "That's the spring equinox." Sam added. "The night the sun and the moon share the sky as equals." Dean concluded.

"So every year about this time, anybody in Oasis Plains is in danger. Larry built this neighborhood on cursed land." Lyssa said. "And on the sixth night-that's tonight." Dean added, looking to Sam and Lyssa. "If we don't do something, Larry's family will be dead by sunrise. So how do we break the curse?" Sam asked.

"You don't break the curse. You get out of its way. We've gotta get those people out now." Dean announced, sliding into the drivers seat.

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"Yes, Mr. Pike, there's a mainline gas leak in your neighborhood." Dean said over the phone with Larry.

"Well, it's fairly extensive. I don't want to alarm you, but we need your family out of the vicinity for at least twelve hours or so, just to be safe."

"Travis Weaver. I work for Oklahoma Gas and Power."

"Uh..." Dean said before snapping the phone shut in panic. "Give me the phone." Lyssa said, leaning over the front seat to grab the phone.

"Matt, it's Lyssa."

"Matt, just listen. You have to get your family out of that house right now, okay?"

"Because something's coming."

"Yeah, a lot more."

"You've gotta make him listen."

"Give me the phone, give me the phone." Dean demanded, reaching behind him to grab the phone from Lyssa while still trying to drive. "Matt, under no circumstances are you to tell the truth, they'll just think you're nuts." Dean said into the phone. "Tell him you have a sharp pain in your right side and you've gotta go to the hospital, okay?"

Dean hung up the phone and tossed it onto the seat. "Make his listen? What are you thinking?" Dean asked Lyssa, giving her an odd look through the rearview mirror.

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A while later, Dean pulled up to outside Larry's house. They could see Larry look out the window at them when he heard the Impala roll up. "Damn it, they're still here. Come on." Dean said, opening his door and got out. Sam and Lyssa got out and followed after Dean while Larry and Matt came outside. "Get off my property before I call the cops." Larry threatened, pointing at them.

"Mr. Pike, listen." Lyssa tried to reason with the older man, but was unsuccessful. "Dad, they're just trying to help." Matt tried to tell his dad. "Get in the house!" Larry yelled at his son. "I'm sorry. I told him the truth." Matt told the three. "We had a plan, Matt, what happened to the plan?" Dean said, slight annoyance in his voice. "Look, it's 12:00 AM. They are coming any minute now. You need to get your family and go, before it's too late." Sam urged impatiently.

"Yeah, you mean before the biblical swarm." Larry accused angrily.

"Larry, what do you think really happened to that realtor, huh? And the gas company guy? You don't think something weird's going on here?" Dean asked, trying to get through to the other man. "Look, I don't know who you are, but you're crazy. You come near my boy or my family again, and we're gonna have a problem." Larry warned, starting to back up towards the house.

"Well, I hate to be a downer, but we've got a problem right now." Lyssa interjected. "Dad, they're right, okay? We're in danger." Matt spoke up. "Matt, get inside! Now!" Larry yelled, turning to his son. "No! Why won't you listen to me?!" Matt asked, standing his ground. "Because this is crazy! It doesn't make any sense!" Larry answered a little desperately. "Look, this land is cursed! People have died here. Now are you gonna really take that risk with your family?" Sam asked.

"Wait." Dean said, causing everyone to go silent and look at him. "You hear it?" he asked. From somewhere nearby, a very loud buzzing noise could be heard and it continued getting louder. "What the hell?" Larry asked, looking in the direction of the buzzing. The fluorescent bug light on the porch began to overheat, killing several bugs at a time. "All right, it's time to go. Larry, get your wife." Dean ordered.

"Guys." Matt said, catching everyone's attention.

They all looked up at the sky to see millions of bugs beginning to fly towards the house, blanketing the sky. "Oh my God." Larry mumbled under his breath, looking up at the sky in terror. "We'll never make it." Sam said, eyeing the sky. "Everybody in the house. Everybody in the house, go!" Dean ordered, ushering the other four onto the porch and inside and locking the door once inside. "Okay, is there anybody else in the neighborhood?" Lyssa asked Larry.

"No, it's just us." Larry answered, his voice a little panicked as his wife entered the room. "Honey, what's happening? What's that noise?" Joanie asked, going over to stand next to her husband. "Call 911." Larry told her. "Joanie!" he said, louder this time when she didn't move. "Okay." she said, picking up the phone and dialing. "I need towels." Dean announced. "Uh, in the closet." Larry told him.

"Okay, we've gotta lock this place up, come on-doors, windows, fireplace, everything, okay?" Sam instructed Matt and they headed upstairs. "The phones are dead." Joanie said, hanging the phone up. "They must've chewed through the phone lines." Lyssa concluded, handing Dean some towels that he began putting at the base of the front door when the power went out. "And the power lines." he added.

"I need my cell." Larry said, picking his cell phone up off the table. "No signal." he added, opening the phone. "You won't get one. They're blanketing the house." Dean said, rummaging around for something. Millions of bugs began collecting on the doors and windows, covering the entire building as Sam and Matt came back down the stairs and the six of them watched, waiting.

"So, what do we do now?" Larry asked after a stretch of silence.

"We try to outlast it. Hopefully, the curse will end at sunrise." Lyssa explained, not sounding too sure. "Hopefully?" Larry asked, shooting Lyssa a surprised look. Dean left the living room and headed towards the kitchen, searching the cabinets. Finding what he was looking for, he came back into the living room. "Bug spray?" Joanie asked, eyeing the can in Deans hand. "Trust me." he said.

They heard a creaking noise coming from somewhere around the fireplace. "What is that?" Matt asked, eyeing the fireplace. "The flue." Sam answered, his voice a little exasperated. "All right, I think everybody needs to get upstairs." Dean said, getting ready to usher the others up the stairs when hundreds of thousands of bugs came into the living room, swarming around them. They all screamed and tried to protect themselves. Dean used his lighter with the can of bug spray to make a sort of flame thrower, warding some of the bugs away.

"All right, everybody upstairs! Now! Go, go, go!" Dean yelled, following after them with his flame thrower as the others made their way upstairs. Sam lead them to the attic and ushered the Pike family and Lyssa up before going up himself, Dean following closely behind him. The boys quickly got the door closed and both took a deep breath. After a few moments, sawdust began to fall from the ceiling and the buzzing of bees got louder.

"Oh, God, what's that?" Joanie cried as her and her family huddled in a corner. "Something's eating through the wood." Lyssa said, looking up at the ceiling. "Termites." Matt announced. "All right, everybody get back. Get back, get back, get back!" Dean ordered, pushing Sam and Lyssa slightly behind him and holding his flame thrower at the ready. Seconds later, the bugs chewed a hole through the ceiling and swarming around the room. Sam and Dean frantically tried to patch up the hole in the ceiling, but it only worked for a minute. Soon, two more holes were chewed, and while Dean tried to ward them off with the bug spray, nothing seemed to work.

Dean pulled Sam and Lyssa over to the corner and tried desperately to swat the bugs away for a few minutes. The, suddenly, the sun began to rise. Miraculously, the bugs started to leave through the holes in the ceiling. Confused, Sam, Dean, and Lyssa got up to see what happened. Through the hole, they could see bugs in the sky, near the sun, in one enormous colony. The six of them continued watching, relieved.

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Dean pulled the Impala across the street from the Pike residence which was in the process of being emptied by movers and the Pike family. "What, no goodbye?" Dean asked as they approached Larry. "Good timing. Another hour and we'd have been gone." Larry said, giving them a smile and shaking their hands. "For good?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. The development's been put on hold while the government investigates those bones you found. But I'm gonna make damn sure no one lives here again." Larry explained, looking at the house thoughtfully. "You don't seem too upset about it." Lyssa observed. "Well, this has been the biggest financial disaster of my career, but..." Larry began to say, looking over to Matt who was carrying a box to the garbage. "...somehow, I really don't care."

Matt and Larry share a smile and Sam walked over to Matt while Dean and Lyssa walked back to the Impala after saying a last goodbye to Larry. "Hey, I wanna apologize about what happened at the university." Dean said, leaning against the hood of the Impala. Lyssa leaned next to him and gave him a small smile. "Don't worry about it." she told him, bumping him in the shoulder. Dean grinned down at her as Sam came back towards them. "I wanna find dad." he announced, watching Larry and Matt who seemed to be getting along better now.

"Yeah, me too," Dean answered, watching the father and son as well. "Yeah, but I just...I want to apologize to him." Sam clarified.

"For what?" Dean asked, looking to his little brother. "All the things I said to him. He was just doing the best he could." Sam answered, looking down at the ground. "Well, don't worry, we'll find him. And then you'll apologize. And then within five minutes, you guys will be back at each other's throats." Dean said. "Yeah, probably." Sam said with a laugh. "Let's hit the road." Sam said after a few seconds of silence.

"Let's." Dean agreed, pushing off the hood. "Shot gun!" Lyssa yelled, grinning when Sam gave her a dirty look. "Don't look at me like that, moose. If you wanted it, you should've called it." she said, sliding into the front seat. Dean laughed and slid into the driver's seat while Sam grumbled and clambered into the back seat.


End file.
